Presenter

Kristi Hill, PhD
Acting director, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research

Dr. Kristi Hill serves as the Acting Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

As a research administrator and program manager for nearly two decades, Dr. Hill has worked to drive policy change and increase community living options and opportunities for people with disabilities and other disadvantaged and underserved groups. She began her federal career in 2001, serving in a variety of programmatic roles at NIDILRR. In 2005, she moved to the U.S. Department of Education as the director of Small Business Programs, where she developed the agency’s program to improve opportunities, competitiveness, and participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in grant and contract programs.

Since her return in 2012 to NIDILRR as the deputy director, she has helped to implement the director’s strategic vision and manage NIDILRR’s day-to-day operations. She also serves as the acting chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research.

Dr. Hill earned a PhD in neuroscience from the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University). She has published in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to the development of book chapters, educational tools, and training materials for research and clinical professionals, service providers, and people with disabilities.

Outside of NIDILRR, Dr. Hill is an active advocate, mentor, and motivational speaker who embraces every opportunity to work with newly disabled veterans, advocate in her community for programming and services, and educator for the public about the issues faced by people with disabilities. She lives in Port Tobacco, Maryland, with her husband and three children.

Conference Presentation