Senator Chang-Díaz is a thoughtful, honest, and tenacious champion for the voiceless. Since being sworn into office in 2009, Sen. Chang-Díaz has helped pass reforms to the state's CORI system, curtailed the misuse of special education dollars, been instrumental in the passage of civil rights protections for transgender Bay Staters, re-written our state laws on school discipline, expanded voting rights, and successfully defended millions of dollars in funding for youth development. Additionally, she has been a voice for those affected by housing displacement, for immigrants, and for strong stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
 
Prior to attaining elected office, Senator Chang-Díaz served as a public school teacher in the Lynn and Boston school systems, where she learned first-hand the challenges facing our public school students, teachers, and parents and the role our state government can play in improving our educational system. Senator Chang-Díaz also previously worked as a legislative aide in the Senate, as a key political adviser at the Barbara Lee Family Office, and as the Director of Outreach at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a non-partisan fiscal policy think tank.