Obama Appoints Super Cool Sutley to Environmental Post

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.