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President Biden to Nominate Disability Policy Expert Sharon Lewis to SSAB

January 25, 2022

Washington, DC – President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Sharon Lewis of Oregon to serve on the Social Security Advisory Board, an independent agency with a seven-member bipartisan board that advises the president, Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on policies related to the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. The position is subject to Senate confirmation.

Lewis is a Principal at Health Management Associates, where she consults with government entities, providers, and advocates to advance opportunities for people with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Before that, Lewis served nearly six years in presidentially appointed roles at the Department of Health and Human Services. There, she was one of the chief architects of the Administration for Community Living and worked to improve access to quality integrated home and community-based services by working with states, stakeholders, and other federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Social Security Administration, and the Departments of Labor, Education, Transportation, and Justice.

Before joining the Obama administration, Lewis worked as a Senior Disability Policy Advisor to the House Committee on Education & Labor and as a Kennedy Public Policy Fellow for the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Children and Families. Lewis is the recipient of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Chairman’s Award and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

If confirmed, Lewis will join four Congressional appointees as the Board’s fifth member with two remaining presidential vacancies.

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The Board’s mission is to advise the President, Congress, and Commissioner of Social Security on the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. The Board is comprised of Presidential and Congressional appointees with professional staff.