Representative Vanna Howard Contact information

Vanna Howard is an American politician serving as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 17th Middlesex District. A member of the Democratic Party, her district includes portions of Lowell and Tewksbury.

Born in Cambodia, Howard’s father, siblings, and grandparents were killed by the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodian genocide. After fleeing Cambodia in 1979, Howard, along with her mother and stepfather, resettled in a refugee camp and two years later, in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. She recalls her early days in the United States, while she learned English, as “very lonely.” Howard attended the University of Massachusetts Boston and moved to Lowell in 1991 when she was hired as a bilingual legal secretary.

Howard served on the staff of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas from 2008 to 2019, first as a constituent services representative and later as regional director for the Greater Lowell area. In 2020, Howard sought the Democratic nomination for the 17th Middlesex District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She defeated the eleven term incumbent David Nangle, who had been indicted on federal fraud charges, and won the general election unopposed. Howard is the first Khmer woman to serve in the Massachusetts General Court. In 2023, a resolution sponsored by Howard to recognize Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day was adopted by the House.

Howard’s career experience includes working as the chief of external and government relations with the Lowell Community Health Center, the Greater Lowell regional director with former U.S. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and with the Middlesex and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Howard is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell, the Lowell Housing Authority, and the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association.