Amanda Simpson is no stranger to making transgender history. In 2004 she won the Democratic nomination for an Arizona House of Representatives seat but narrowly lost that bid to become the first transperson elected to a state legislative body. She made history in another way by becoming the first transgender presidential appointee.
Simpson has been appointed by the Obama Administration as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. She'll be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Simpson brings considerable professional credentials to her new job. For 30 years, she has worked in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz. She holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration, along with an extensive flight background. She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot with 20 years of experience.
In other words, Amanda's all that and three bags of chips!
“I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me,” said Simpson. “And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”
I was hoping that the 2010's would be a decade that results in an avalanche of groundbreaking 'firsts' and universal recognition of our human rights for the transgender community in the States and around the world.
Well, on the first day of it, we get this wonderful news.
Congratulations Amanda. You deserve it and what a great way to start off the new year and the new decade on a positive note.