President Obama nominated the first openly gay U. S. ambassador of his administration last week, and the nominee is a Pennsylvania native.
Obama selected attorney David Huebner as the ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa. If confirmed by the Senate, Huebner will become only the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history.
Huebner hails from Mahanoy City, about 50 miles northwest of Reading. A 1978 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School — and the school’s 1998 Alumnus of the Year — Huebner later attended Princeton University and earned his law degree from Yale University.
Huebner is currently a partner with firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and, as head of the company’s China Practice and International Disputes Practice, has been living in Shanghai for the past several years.
Huebner previously was a partner and chairman of Coudert Brothers, where he worked out of the firm’s California office. During his time on the West Coast, Huebner served as president of the Los Angeles Quality & Productivity Commission and chaired the California Law Revision Commission, in addition to teaching courses at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.
He has served as the pro-bono legal counsel for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for more than 10 years and also was a founding member and former co-chair of the organization’s board.
GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios hailed Huebner’s nomination.
“We congratulate David and know he will bring the determination and expertise that he has brought to his work at GLAAD to this new post,” Barrios said. “His commitment to public service is unrivaled and for over a decade … GLAAD and the LGBT community have been the beneficiary of his commitment, dedication and skill.”
Barrios said the president’s selection will raise public awareness not only about Huebner’s own accomplishments but also the potential and vitality of the LGBT community as a whole.
“We applaud President Obama for this nomination and his commitment to identifying the best and the brightest,” Barrios said. “This decision raises the visibility of the LGBT community as people who should be accepted and valued for our contributions to our society.”
Obama, who also announced the nomination of David Nelson as ambassador to Uruguay last week, said of the two men that he’s “confident that these individuals will represent our nation well in these important roles. I am grateful for their service and look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].