The Victory Fund has learned Mercedes Marquez, the current head of the Los Angeles Housing Department and an out lesbian, will be appointed Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Prior to joining LAHD, Marquez was a vice president at McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., a national development company specializing in urban communities. She also served in the Clinton administration as senior counsel to Secretary Andrew Cuomo and deputy general counsel for civil rights and fair housing at HUD.

The appointment brings to 31 the number of openly LGBT people appointed to senior positions in the Obama administration.  Marquez was recommended for the post by the Presidential Appointments Project, a joint effort of more than a dozen national LGBT groups.  To see a list of LGBT presidential appointees to date, go to glli.org/presidential.