- Roberta Achtenberg
Infobox Politician
name = Roberta Achtenberg
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office1 = Member of theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors
from District 8
term_start1 = 2000
term_end1 = 2003
predecessor1 =
successor1 =Susan Leal
birth_date = birth date and age|1950|07|20
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = American
party = Democratic
otherparty =
spouse =
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alma_mater =
occupation =civil rights attorney, nonprofit director and legal educator
profession =
net worth =
religion =
website =
footnotes =Roberta Achtenberg (born
July 20 ,1950 ) was the first openlylesbian orgay public official in theUnited States whose appointment to a federal position was confirmed by theUnited States Senate .Career
Before becoming a public official, Achtenberg worked for more than 15 years as a civil rights attorney, nonprofit director and legal educator.
Achtenberg unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the
California State Assembly in 1988. She was elected as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1990 and resigned in 1993 when she was appointed Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by President Bill Clinton. Her confirmation was famously held up by Senator Jesse Helms who refused to vote for her "because she's a damn lesbian." British writerDennis Sewell controversially claimed that while Achtenberg's work increased home ownership to minority communities it also helped lay the groundwork for thesubprime mortgage crisis a decade later by actively enforcing policies to deter discrimination. [Dennis Sewell [http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/2189196/clinton-democrats-are-to-blame-for-the-credit-crunch.thtml Clinton Democrats are to blame for the credit crunch] ] Achtenberg left the post in 1995 to run formayor of San Francisco . She served as Senior Vice President for Public Policy at theSan Francisco Chamber of Commerce until January 2005. In 2000, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees ofCalifornia State University by GovernorGray Davis , becoming chair of the Board in May 2006.Personal life
Achtenberg's father immigrated to the United States from the former
Soviet Union , while her mother came fromQuebec .After graduating from
Morningside High School inInglewood, California , Achtenberg went toUCLA , then transferred to and graduated fromUniversity of California, Berkeley . She began law school inSan Francisco atUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law , before transferring to and receiving her Juris Doctorate from theUniversity of Utah .Achtenberg has a son, Benjie, whom she raised with her former partner, Mary C. Morgan.
Awards
*2003, awarded the first ever Public Administration Program Award for Public Service by
San Francisco State University in recognition of Achtenberg's outstanding career in public service
*1997, one of the "50 Most Influential Businesswomen in the Bay Area"
*1994,GLAAD Media Awards, Visibility Award
*Founders Award from the National Center for Lesbian RightsBooks
* "Sexual Orientation and the Law", by Roberta Achtenberg (editor) (1985) ISBN 978-0-87632-454-7
* "The Lesbian and Gay Book of Love and Marriage: Creating the Stories of Our Lives", by Paula Martinac, Roberta Achtenberg (contributor) (1998) ISBN 978-0-7679-0162-8
* "Helping Gay and Lesbian Youth: New Policies, New Programs, New Practice", by Teresa Decrescenzo (editor), Roberta Achtenberg (contributor) (1994) ISBN 978-1-56023-057-1References
External links
* [http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00122 Senate Confirmation Roll Call Vote]
* [http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/achtenberg_r.html Roberta Achtenberg] onglbtq.com
*http://nanobusiness.org/info/about/advisoryBoard/index_html/robertaAchtenberg
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