International Code Council – Liz Williams – 2025
Summary
Liz Williams joined the International Code Council (ICC) as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow to support Tribal Nations exploring building and energy code enactment.
Goals
Her projects address the need for more community-driven, accessible resources on how codes can increase safety, promote economic development, and reflect sovereignty in Tribal communities. Beyond resource development, Williams was tasked with analyzing ICC’s relationship with existing Tribal stakeholders to ensure equitable engagement and identify opportunities for ICC to better serve and collaborate with Tribal Nations and ICC Sovereign Chapters.
Solutions
Williams connected with leaders from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe to capture each community’s approach to code enactment, implementation, and enforcement. She then translated these technical experiences into detailed case studies and developed a practical step-by-step framework to further support Tribal Nations through the code enactment process. While engaging in this external qualitative research, Williams also interviewed internal leaders and staff to understand ICC’s current Tribal engagement strategy. In a light touch analysis, she identified communication gaps and opportunities and developed actionable recommendations for ICC leadership to build trust and expand peer-to-peer learning networks with Tribal partners.
Potential Impact
The case studies and framework provide ICC with concrete, real-world examples that Tribal Nations can draw from when navigating code enactment. They highlight lessons learned, common challenges, and strategies for balancing technical standards with community priorities. The engagement analysis adds actionable recommendations for ICC to center equity and build stronger relationships with Tribal partners. Together, these resources make ICC better equipped to support community-driven development across Indian Country.
