Obama to Name Out Lesbian Nancy Sutley to Environmental Post

A Democratic aide has confirmed to The Advocate that President-elect Obama will be naming Los Angeles deputy mayor Nancy Sutley, who is gay, as a senior member of his environmental team, as reported Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.

Sutley, who currently serves as deputy mayor of energy and the environment, will be named chairwoman of the Council of Environmental Quality, which helps develop environmental policy and advises the White House on such matters.

The leaked announcement comes at a time when gay Democrats have been beginning to express concerns over the absence of LGBT representation in President-elect Obama's senior-level appointees. Sutley originally supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primaries and was a member of her Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Steering Committee in California.

But following the election, Obama asked her to join a team that is reviewing the Environmental Protection Agency. She will become the first out person named to a prominent position in the administration by President-elect Obama.

Nancy Sutley has a rich background in environmental public policy at both the federal and state levels, having served on the California State Water Resources Control Board, as energy adviser to Gov. Gray Davis, and as the deputy secretary for policy and intergovernmental relations within the California Environmental Protection Agency. As an appointee to the EPA, she helped shape water and air pollution policy, lobbied congressional leadership, and formulated budget and legislative priorities.

For more on Nancy Sutley go to Advocate.com