Roberta Achtenberg (born July 20, 1950) is an American attorney 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. Early life and education Achtenberg's father was Jewish and immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union, while her mother was from Quebec. Both parents had minimal formal education. They owned a grocery store in Los Angeles and raised Roberta and her three siblings. After graduating from Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, Achtenberg attended University of California, Los Angeles before graduating from University of California, Berkeley in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. At Berkeley, she met her ex-husband, David Chavkin. She 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. Career Before becoming a public official, Achtenberg worked for more than 15 years as a civil rights attorney, nonprofit director, and legal educator. Achtenberg supported the LGBTQ community early in her political career. Her activity included co-founding the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Between 1975 and 1976, she served as a teaching fellow at Stanford University Law School. In 1976, Achtenberg became the Dean of the New College of California School of Law. Additionally, in 1978 Achtenberg represented LGBTQ rights while in the Anti-Sexism Committee for the National Lawyers Guild. While working for the organization, she edited Sexual Orientation and the Law (1985). 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, in the first time that two lesbians (alongside Carole Migden) won seats to the board. 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. Later, she was appointed as the senior advisor to the Secretary