Chicago mayor Richard Daley has appointed Elizabeth Kelly as the new chair of the city's Advisory Council on LGBT issues.

"The LGBT communities are fortunate to have a dedicated and energetic leader like Beth Kelly," Dana Starks, chair and commissioner of the city's Commission on Human Relations, said in a press release
issued Wednesday.

The Advisory Council on LGBT issues is one of eight councils working with the Commission on Human Relations. The councils help the commission identify issues of prejudice and discrimination affecting their communities.

Members of the Advisory Council on LGBT issues are appointed by the mayor and serve three-year terms.

Kelly is currently a professor of women's and gender studies at DePaul University in Chicago and is a cofounder of the university's interdisciplinary program in LGBT studies.

Kelly has been an activist for more than 30 years and a member of the advisory council since 2006.