Massachusetts Congresswoman Niki Tsongas received Eastern Bank’s Community Advocacy Award on October 23rd—an honor presented to local leaders who contribute to building and preserving their communities. The congresswoman has a strong record of serving Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley during her tenure in Congress; her devotion and advocacy have also stretched across several local and national issues.

Elected to serve the Third Congressional District in 2011, Niki Tsongas serves the more than 730,000 residents that live in the area’s 37 cities and towns including Lowell, Andover, Methuen, and Lawrence. A key hallmark of her leadership is her accessibility to constituents as she has offices in three cities in her district and offers office hours in two more.

Throughout her tenure, she’s accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments. The congresswoman is well-known for her support of immigrant rights, small business innovation, quality education, and support for the armed forces.

“I ran for Congress because I was motivated by a lifelong commitment to public service and a desire to change people’s lives for the better,” Tsongas said. “I also believe that it is important to bring women’s voices to all we value as a country, and I’m proud that my election marked the first time in a quarter century that Massachusetts sent a woman to Congress.”

The Merrimack Valley Community Advocacy Award acknowledged Tsongas’ long career of public service to her district and the progressive values that have characterized her dynamic leadership.

Tsongas has demonstrated an intrinsic desire to serve others. A law school graduate, Tsongas would go on to become a partner in Lowell’s first all-female law firm. Having lived in Lowell for more than 40 years, Tsongas spent much of her career building up the community. She served as the dean of external affairs for Middlesex Community College and sat on a number of boards for public organizations in Lowell.

With her congressional career taking off in 2011, she would go on to have an even greater impact, not just in Lowell, but in surrounding communities and throughout the nation.

“In the eleven years I’ve had the privilege of serving, I have worked to make a difference in the lives of the people of our district and the nation,” she said. “My very first vote in Congress was cast to expand health care for women and children. Given our family’s experience and knowing how critical access to affordable health coverage is, I helped pass life-saving health care reform legislation, the Affordable Care Act, and have fought to defend its protections for millions of Americans.”

Her congressional career has seen her make headway in a number of areas. For example, Tsongas was a co-founding member of the Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC), a congressional body seeking to advance policies that support clean energy and environmentally-friendly practices.

And the accomplishments go on and on. Niki Tsongas has also:

• Established a first-of-its-kind urban park in Lowell,
• Led the fight for legislation to provide teaching hospitals across the nation the funding needed to train health care professionals to provide medical care in low-income communities, and
• Dedicated resources to fighting the opioid epidemic in the Third District.

“I believe that the role of the federal government is to serve as a partner to help communities realize their own vision for themselves,” she said. “That’s why I made economic development, constituent services, and the accessibility of my office such priorities. And, I am proud that we were able to bring needed federal funds to so many of these remarkable communities.”

Tsongas said she is deeply appreciative of Eastern Bank’s acknowledgment of her work.

“I am honored by this recognition, and to be receiving the Eastern Bank Community Advocate Award. It means a lot to me to be recognized by such a deeply committed stakeholder in the communities I have had the privilege of serving.”

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas received Eastern Bank’s Merrimack Valley Community Advocacy Award. Learn about her amazing career of public service and dedication to progressive leadership.