1. Roberta Achtenberg was previously assistant secretary of the US 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.
Roberta Achtenberg is married with a son, and has been locally and nationally recognized with many awards and has made many publications throughout her career.
Roberta Achtenberg's father was Jewish and immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union, while her mother was from Quebec.
Roberta Achtenberg began law school at University of California, Hastings College of the Law, before eventually receiving her Juris Doctor from the University of Utah in 1975.
Roberta Achtenberg divorced from David Chavkin in a cordial manner in 1977, and soon after came out to her family as a lesbian.
Roberta Achtenberg met her former partner, Mary Morgan, judge on the San Francisco Municipal Court, in 1979, and became partners in 1982.
In 1995, Roberta Achtenberg gave a speech at the San Francisco Dyke March and Gay Pride March.
In 1976, Roberta Achtenberg became the Dean of the New College of California School of Law.
Roberta Achtenberg supported the LGBTQ community early in her political career.
Roberta Achtenberg's activity included co-founding the National Center for Lesbian Rights in 1977, along with Donna Hitchens.
Additionally, in 1978 Roberta Achtenberg represented LGBTQ rights while in the Anti-Sexism Committee for the National Lawyers Guild.
Roberta Achtenberg has formerly worked at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco on the Board of Directors from 1997 to 2002 where she chaired the Affordable Housing Committee, and worked as a Staff Attorney for the Lesbian Rights Project of Equal Rights Advocates.
Roberta Achtenberg is the founder and a partner at ABK City Advisors, serves as a Senior Advisor at Lennar Corporation, and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Bank of San Francisco.
Roberta Achtenberg unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the 1988 California State Assembly special election to replace Art Agnos, losing to John Burton.
Roberta Achtenberg was elected as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1990, the first time that two lesbians won seats to the board.
Roberta Achtenberg's group was awarded Vice President Gore's Hammer Award.
Roberta Achtenberg left the post in 1995 to run for mayor of San Francisco, and placed third behind Frank Jordan and Willie Brown.
From 1998 to 2004, Roberta Achtenberg helped develop the policies for both the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Center for Economic Development.
Roberta Achtenberg served as Senior Vice President for Public Policy at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce until January 2005.
Roberta Achtenberg served 16 years on the California State University Board of Trustees, serving two years as chair, where she developed the Access to Excellence Plan.
Roberta Achtenberg was crucial in the formation of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, and was a member of the Palliative Care's National Advisory Board.
Roberta 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.
Roberta Achtenberg was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be the Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Roberta Achtenberg's confirmation was announced during the lift of the ban on letting gay people in the military.
Roberta Achtenberg's confirmation hearing was held in front of the Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and started on April 29,1993.
Roberta Achtenberg was the first openly LGBTQ+ individual to go through the senate confirmation process, and subsequently was the first LGBTQ+ individual to hold a federal position.
Roberta Achtenberg received opposition from the Christian Action Network, due to her radical lesbian activism.
Roberta Achtenberg received endorsements from many organizations and people, such as the National Fair Housing Alliance, San Francisco Bar Association, the National Association of Human Rights Workers, Senator Feinstein, and Congresswoman Pelosi.
Roberta Achtenberg expressed her own viewpoints and goals related to the position.
Roberta Achtenberg stated that, in the role of Assistant Secretary, she would strive to eradicate housing discrimination and allow people to make free and fair choices surrounding their housing.