An 11-year employee at Lowell-based Enterprise Bank has her eyes set on Washington D.C.

Bopha Malone, regional business advisor and vice president at Enterprise Bank, announced earlier this week via Twitter  that she would run for the third congressional seat to replace U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas when she retires.

Malone immigrated to the U.S. from Cambodia when she was 9 years old.

“I’ve worked hard to achieve my American dream, but I also understand I couldn’t have made it through hard work alone,” she said in a Facebook post. “Now, my passion is giving back, helping people as I have been helped. Having the opportunity to serve community organizations and educational institutions over the past 20 years has been one of my greatest joys. Representing the people of Massachusetts 3 is an exciting opportunity to continue to be an agent of change on a broader scale.”

Malone began at Enterprise Bank in 2006 as a leadership development participant, which allowed her to rotate in key areas of the bank system such as the accounting and finance department, branch networks, credit, commercial lending, investments, operations, sales and marketing and technology.

Through the years, she has climbed the ranks serving in various branch manager positions all the way to her current role, which entails supporting business development efforts in the Greater Lowell region through independent and joint business development efforts. Malone was a 2015 Banker & Tradesman Women of FIRE Award winner.

Malone is involved in several Lowell organizations, serving on the boards of Middlesex Community College, Lowell General Hospital, Community Teamwork Inc. and Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell. She also serves on the board of trustees at her alma mater Lesley College.

Malone joins a competitive field of 11 other Democratic candidates.

The list includes State Sen. Barbara L’Italien, Alexandra Chandler, a former senior intelligence analyst, and Boxboro entrepreneur Patrick Littlefield, who previously worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other Democratic candidates are Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s former Chief of Staff Daniel Koh, former congressman Marty Meehan’s former chief of staff Lori Trahan, former lieutenant governor nominee Steve Kerrigan, Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen, Lawrence Rep. Juana Matias, Troca Hotels CEO Abhijit Das, Westford School Committee Chairman Terence Ryan and former ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford.

On the Republican side, candidates include Rick Green, a wealthy Pepperell businessman and head of the nonprofit Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, Scott Alan Gunderson, a Groton Republican and former Navy pilot, and Fitchburg Republican Lou Marino.