Jamie Williamson Presented with 2015 MassLandlords Good Neighbor Award

MassLandlords Executive Director Douglas Quattrochi, left, presents Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Chairwoman Jamie Williamson, right, with a commemorative plaque for the 2015 Good Neighbor Award.

Each year MassLandlords members are asked to identify non-members who deserve special recognition in their service to landlords or to rental housing more broadly. This "Good Neighbor Award" is announced at the annual membership meeting in December.

The 2015 MassLandlords Good Neighbor Award was presented to Chairwoman Jamie Williamson of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. In her role as head of MCAD, Chairwoman Williamson is responsible for investigating and prosecuting violations of our equal housing laws. This might make the Chairwoman seem an unlikely candidate for the Good Neighbor Award.

But Jamie, as we know her, has tirelessly and with very good nature volunteered herself to tour the circuit of landlord networking groups in the Commonwealth. There are ~20 of us from the Berkshires to the cape, and we’d be surprised to hear if she hasn’t spoken to all of them. She is MassLandlords' highest rated speaker ever in Worcester and a perennial favorite in Springfield.

Jamie gives her cell phone out to every landlord she meets. We can all text her questions and she will text or call back. It's rare for high ranking officials to return calls, let alone text message back and forth.

Chairwoman Williamson has done an enormous service by helping landlords become knowledgeable about our Commonwealth’s laws, avoid discrimination, and provide housing to the full diversity of Massachusetts residents.

The plaque was presented on January 21. Chairwoman Williamson was unable to attend the Worcester annual meeting because she had already booked herself to speak at a different landlord group.