Nancy Sutley
The rainbow ceiling has shattered: President-elect Barack Obama has selected Nancy Sutley to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Sutley–a prominent member of the gay and lesbian community, deputy mayor for energy and environment in Los Angeles and the mayor’s representative on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California–has a long record of working on environmental and natural resources policy.
During the Democratic primary, Sutley supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and was a member of her Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender steering committee. She previously served on the California State Water Resources Control Board, which is responsible for protecting water quality and resources throughout the state, and was the energy adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis. During President Bill Clinton’s administration, Sutley was an EPA official, including being a special assistant to the EPA administrator in Washington.
Sutley is the first highly visible member of the gay and lesbian community to earn a senior role in the Democrat’s new administration.
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Congrats to her, but how refreshing is it to see appointees who actually have relevant experience for the posts to which they are nominated!
So overdue on both accounts.
Thanks Lisa.
she’s a real person. i like her.
Yay! I can’t remember who was saying this a week or so ago, but one of the really impressive things about the Obama transition is they’re appointing people of great diversity, but none of them give the impression that they’re being appointed to satisfy some group or another.
Of course, it helps to have a party filled with people who’ve spent a lifetime working for the benefit of their fellow citizens, rather than hacks who have lined their pockets supporting an ideology that says “the market” will take care of everyone else, but still.
I’m also tickled that we’re now getting beyond Clinton-level diversity (which was not bad in its day) and into territory that Republicans will never match without provoking a revolt in their base.
And to follow up, by appointing supremely capable people of great diversity, they’re showing rather than telling that all the old bigotries are BS.
bama may be what we need to join the world. i do like what i see.
Thanks Lisa.
This is just astounding and wonderful all at the same time!
Kinda flies in the face of the Prop 8 ignorance, doncha think?
I read of this appointment yesterday and the first thought through my mind was of Obama stating during the campaign that everyone would have a seat at the table if he were elected. And his comments to those “Christian” folk in West Texas……
This was a brilliant move on his part and I would think rather sews up the rainbow vote in future elections.
Or I hope so anyway.
Kudos, and thanks again, Lisa.
Amen. It is so delightful to see that the Village Smart People really are!