As expected, President-elect Barack Obama this afternoon made official his nomination of Nancy Sutley to become chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, commented on the incoming administration’s first high-level appointment of an openly gay individual:

“President-elect Obama’s nomination of Nancy Sutley is another step toward full equality for gay Americans. It sends a signal to young people that they can participate in their government at its highest levels, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender or ethnicity. We will continue to work hard to ensure qualified, talented individuals like Nancy Sutley who are openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender can serve at all levels of government.”

The Presidential Appointments Project continues to work to ensure Obama transition officials have access to a talented, vetted pool of LGBT Americans willing to serve the next administration.  More than 1,400 individuals have applied for presidential appointments through the Project.