"I believe that Treasure Island's sustainable and diverse future will be the crowning achievement as San Francisco is established as the world leader of green urban planning," Stephens said. "Whether it's addressing the need for services, expanding the quality of life and addressing the safety concerns of our unique 3,000 person community, or looking to the expansive vision to clean up and rebuild the island, we have a lot of work ahead."

Stephens, appointed to the Treasure Island Development Authority's Board of Directors in November of 2006 by mayor Gavin Newsom, has been hailed by his predecessor, Claudine Cheng, who said that it was "exciting to see a resident of the island take the helm." He is the only member of the seven-person board that lives on Treasure Island, as he has for eight years.

"As a young leader in San Francisco," added California Assemblyman Mark Leno, "Owen has worked hard to engage the San Francisco community on a variety of issues and has proven himself to be a strong advocate for his fellow island residents. I'm confident he will be a great choice as TIDA President."

Stephens, in addition to his work on Treasure Island, has been heavily involved in the Democratic Party and LGBT activism, including as a board member of the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club. The former president of the San Francisco Young Democrats, Stephens currently represents California's Young Democrats as the National Committee Person. He was also the recipient of the Young Democrats' Man of the Year award in 2004.

"Owen has been a consistent supporter of the mission to make opportunities on Treasure Island available to San Franciscans from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds," added Sherry Williams, Executive Director of the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative, "and I am confident that as President of the Treasure Island Development Authority will continue to support this vision for the future development of Treasure Island as well."