ROBERTA ACHTENBERG, born on this date, is an American attorney and civil rights advocate who served as a commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was previously assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, becoming the first openly lesbian or gay public official in the United States whose appointment to a federal position was confirmed by the United States Senate. This confirmation hearing garnered a lot of publicity, opposition, and support.

Achtenberg went to school at different branches of the University of California and later attended the University of Utah. Before her political career, she worked as an attorney, director, educator, and founded organizations. Achtenberg is married with a son, and has been locally and nationally recognized with many awards and has made many publications throughout her career.

Achtenberg unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the 1988 California State Assembly special election to replace Art Agnos, losing to John Burton. She was elected as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1990, the first time that two lesbians (alongside Carole Migden) won seats to the board. In her tenure on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, she worked on issues from individuals’ rights to small businesses to making domestic violence shelters. While still serving on the Board of Supervisors in 1992, Achtenberg was appointed to the committee drafting the National Democratic Party’s platform.

In 1993, she was appointed Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity by President Bill Clinton, becoming the first ‘out’ LGBTQ person to be appointed and confirmed to a position within a cabinet office. In her role as Assistant Secretary, Achtenberg successfully integrated a previously all-white town in Vidor, Texas. There was Ku Klux Klan opposition to this public housing integration. Additionally, she worked to help find housing for displaced families due to a hurricane in 1994, and worked on improving fairness in the housing systems. Her group was also awarded Vice President Gore’s Hammer Award. From 1995 to 1997, she was appointed as the senior advisor to the Secretary of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Achtenberg left the post in 1995 to run for mayor of San Francisco, and placed third behind Frank Jordan and Willie Brown (who would win in the runoff). From 1998 to 2004, Achtenberg helped develop the policies for both the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. She served as Senior Vice President for Public Policy at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce until January 2005. In 2004, during her time as the Senior Vice President, she helped a same-sex couple, Phyllis Ann Lyon and Del Martin, obtain the first marriage license issued for a same-sex couple by San Francisco.

In 2000, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of California State University by Governor Gray Davis, becoming chair of the board in May 2006, serving on the CSU Board of Trustees until 2015. Achtenberg served sixteen years on the California State University Board of Trustees, serving two years as chair, where she developed the Access to Excellence Plan. Achtenberg also was crucial in the formation of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, and was a member of the Palliative Care’s National Advisory Board. Because of her extensive work with California State University, she was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters.

Achtenberg was in charge of the Housing and Urban Development Department’s Agency Review Team that assisted the Obama administration during its transition to office in 2008. On January 26, 2011, President Barack Obama named Achtenberg as a Commissioner for the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She served until 2016.