Senate committee hears director of Office of Equity for confirmation

Megan Matthews, nominated for confirmation as director of the Washington State Office of Equity, told a Senate committee on Feb. 16 that the office’s work focuses on making state government accessible and accountable to all Washingtonians.

Matthews described a three‑year journey advancing the office since joining in 2022 and then serving as acting director in 2023. “When I joined the Office of Equity in 2022, we were still building its foundation,” she said, and later noted the office has grown “from 12 staff to 40 permanent positions” to support statewide systems‑change work. She described launching a statewide homelessness dashboard and expanding data‑driven accountability to housing, public safety and supplier diversity.

Senators questioned Matthews about relationships with statutory ethnic commissions and about a community‑reinvestment plan. Matthews said the office works “very closely with the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs,” the Commission on African American Affairs and the Commission on Hispanic Affairs, and that the office collaborates with those commissions on population‑specific work. She acknowledged that an early definition for a community‑reinvestment program excluded parts of the Asian community and said the issue has been fixed after community pushback.

Committee members expressed appreciation for Matthews’s outreach across Eastern and Western Washington and asked for follow‑up on how the office will continue to coordinate with commissions. Matthews said she would continue listening to communities and partnering with agencies across the state.

The committee swore Matthews under Senate rule 69 and closed her hearing; her confirmation was scheduled for a committee vote the following week.