President Obama just appointed Amanda Simpson to the Department of Commerce as a senior technical adviser in the Bureau of Industry and Security.

Why is this news-worthy for Amplify? Because Amanda Simpson is the first presidential appointee to be a transgender woman!
 

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 a press release from the National Center for Transgender Equality,(an organization for which she has served on the Board of Directors for the past three years) Simpson made this statement:
 

 "I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited  about this opportunity that is before me.”
 …

 “I hope…that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

Congratulations, Ms. Simpson! I hope that this appointment will really open the door for other transgender men and women seeking governmental positions on the state and federal level. What a great way for the LGBTQ community to start 2010!

~ Samantha