Dec 12, 2008  |  By: CHRIS JOHNSON  | COMMENTS     

President-elect Barack Obama named his first openly gay senior administration staffer this week, just days after an announcement that his inaugural parade would include the first-ever gay contingent.

Obama tapped Nancy Sutley, a lesbian who currently serves as deputy mayor of Los Angeles for energy and environment, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality, making her the first openly gay person chosen to serve in his administration council. The news was first reported by the Associated Press.

The Obama transition team declined to comment on the appointment or other possible appointments. The office of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did not immediately respond to the Blade’s request for comment.

Sutley supported Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) during the primary campaign and served on her gay steering committee. Sutley contributed $1,000 to Clinton’s campaign during the primary and $250 to Obama in the general election.

A bio for Sutley on the University of California in Los Angeles web site says that she served as energy adviser to former California Gov. Gray Davis (D) and was deputy secretary for policy and intergovernmental relations within the California Environmental Protection Agency from 1999 to 2003.

Under President Bill Clinton, Sutley was a senior policy adviser to San Francisco’s regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and was special assistant to the administrator at the EPA in Washington, D.C.

Obama’s transition team is considering additional openly gay officials to serve key roles in the administration, according to those familiar with the appointment process.

One gay man being considered for a cabinet-level position is John Berry, who is being vetted for the role of secretary of the interior, according to Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Brad Luna.
Berry is director of the Smith-sonian National Zoo and is responsible for the public facility and the research program, according to the zoo’s web site. Also under his purview are the fundraising and education programs coordinated by the zoo’s membership organization.

In a statement Tuesday, Berry said he had not yet been contacted regarding the position, but said he has “a deep and abiding appreciation and commitment” to the mission of the Department of the
Interior.

Berry said as secretary of the interior he would advance issues such as reversing global climate change and protecting fish and wildlife.

To create new jobs during the recession, Berry said the department could revitalize the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program established during the Great Depression.

A D.C. resident, Berry was previously executive director of the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and served as assistant secretary for policy, management and budget at the Department of the Interior under Clinton, according to the zoo.

Luna said Berry is a board member for HRC and a “major donor” to the organization.

The Associated Press reported that other people being considered for the role of secretary of the interior include several U.S. House members, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) and former Washington Gov. Gary Locke (D).

The Blade reported last week that Obama was considering Mary Beth Maxwell, a lesbian and the founding executive director of American Rights at Work, for labor secretary.

Maxwell and Berry, if nominated and confirmed by the Senate, would be the first openly gay cabinet secretaries.

Another gay man being considered for a prominent role in the Obama administration is Fred Hochberg, according to HRC and a Democratic activist. Hochberg, who served on Hillary Clinton’s gay steering committee during the Democratic primary, is being vetted for the role of administrator for the Small Business Administration.

Hochberg, whose office did not respond to a request to comment, was until recently the dean of Milano, the New School for Management & Urban Policy in New York. He now is on Obama’s transition team and is a member of the board of commissioners of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

Hochberg served as deputy and, later, acting administrator of the Small Business Administration for Clinton. He also was a founder and president of Heyday Company, a private investment firm, and was president and chief operating officer of the Lillian Vernon Corp., according to Milano’s web site.

Luna said Hochberg is a former board co-chair for HRC, an emeritus member of the board and serves on HRC’s public policy committee. Luna described Hochberg as a “major donor” to HRC.

Gay band becomes first to play in inaugural parade

As preparations continued for Obama’s inauguration, a federation of gay bands was chosen to participate in the Inauguration Day parade on Jan. 20.

The Lesbian & Gay Band Association (LGBA), a group based in San Francisco, Calif., is the first gay contingent ever chosen to ...