Nika Elugardo, Senior Aide for Policy and Planning
Biography: Nika Elugardo is the Senator's half-time Senior Aide for Policy and Planning. A Public Interest Fellow at the Boston University School of Law, Nika also works with the Abolitionist Network, a Boston-based group, studying international criminal economic and trafficking systems and working internationally with Non-Governmental Organizations and legislators to combat human sex trafficking. Before pursuing her J.D. from Boston University, Nika worked for the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC), an urban Christian community development and research center, where she supported community-based not-for-profits in holistic outcomes assessment, organizational development and leadership training. Nika also founded EGC's Applied Evaluation Systems to train and deploy consultants who teach and practice action-oriented systems thinking and holistic assessment for organizations, businesses and communities. Living in Boston with her family for twenty years, Nika has been an active volunteer in the city's communities, particularly in the areas of youth development and urban poverty, and with community-active churches. She currently sits on EGC's Board as the Vice-Chair. Nika received her B.S. in Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995 and her Master's in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School in 2004, where her areas of concentration were Political Advocacy & Leadership and International Security Policy. While at B.U. Law, she volunteered with the Senator as a legislative intern and studied in the Netherlands, concentrating on the intersection of corporate law and human rights. Apart from the occasional volleyball league, her favorite hobbies are Kung Fu, roller blading and rock-climbing, but she says she is not very good at any of them. She lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Jamaica Plain.
Legislative Issues: Housing, Health Care Finance, Elder Care, Financial Services, and Consumer Protection & Professional Licensing.
Neighborhood Liaison: Jamaica Plain
Nika can be reached at nika.elugardo@masenate.gov.
