Nora Palattao-Burnes worked as the top aide to the former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp and several other House Democratic Leadership team members, including Representative Christine Kilduff, currently the Speaker’s Attorney, and former Democratic Caucus Chair Eric Pettigrew. A graduate of the University of Washington, Nora has served for 17 years in the U.S. Army and is a Civil Affairs officer and paratrooper in the U.S. Army Reserve. She has two children, Kris (14) and Garrett (9), and lives in Tumwater, Washington.