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Khadijah Williams, interim vice chair nominee, urges action and compensation for lived-experience commissioners
Summary
Khadijah Williams, a national director at LIFT and interim vice chair of the Commission on Poverty, told the committee the commission must move from research to action, expand public engagement and consider compensating commissioners with lived experience to ensure meaningful participation.
Khadijah Williams told the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor she brings both professional policy experience and lived experience with homelessness to her work on the Commission on Poverty. "I grew up experiencing homelessness and instability," Williams said, and added that her background shapes efforts to center community voices in policy design.
Williams outlined priorities including a public roundtable series, a research partnership with George Washington University to strengthen commission governance and efforts to expand outreach and listening sessions. She said the commission has been constrained by budget cuts and currently has only a part-time DOAS staff person assigned in a split role. Williams urged exploring legislative changes to allow paying commissioners with lived experience so participation is feasible for those not already paid by employers.
