Chair – Nakeeda Burns
Nakeeda Burns is the Legislative Director for the Office of Majority Leader Michael J. Moran, 18th Suffolk
District and has recently worked as the Massachusetts House Map illustrator on the Special Joint
Committee on Redistricting. She is the current Chair of the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District
Commission for the City of Boston, the Chair of Boston’s Ward 21 Democratic Committee, and a
Member of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus PAC Board of Directors. In 2020, Nakeeda won
the Outstanding Capstone Award for her research on collaborative governance and redistricting.
Nakeeda was born in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston after her mother became one of first
African Americans to racially integrate the Bunker Hill Housing Development in in 1985. She holds a BA
in Sociology and Japanese from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Master’s degree in Public
Administration from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.
Vice Chair – Daniel Lander
Daniel Lander is a new member of the Ward 21 Democratic Committee this year. He has been involved in democratic politics at the local, state, and national level and is excited to serve as vice-chair to help energize democrats in the neighborhood. He previously served as a Senior Advisor on her Mayoral Campaign, and has spent a decade in progressive politics and policy across the country, advocating for criminal justice reform, LGBTQ+ civil rights, and democratic engagement. He also served as the National Director of LGBTQ+ Outreach and National Youth Vote Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential Campaign, and as Director of LGBTQ+ Outreach for Stacey Abrams during her 2018 Gubernatorial Campaign in Georgia. He also served on the 2020 Out for Biden Steering Committee.
Secretary – Donna Palombo
Donna has been a member of Ward 21 Dems Committee since 2014. She has previously served in the roles of Treasurer and Affirmative Action & Outreach Coordinator. Additionally, Donna has been a delegate to the Massachusetts Dems Convention 3 times. She is also very glad about being elected to Secretary this year.
Treasurer – Liz McGuire
Affirmative Action Officer – Lee Nave