About Melinda

Melinda Bates presents Georgetown Class Gift to Bill and Hillary Clinton

Melinda Bates never expected to spend nearly a decade rubbing elbows with political leaders, royalty and celebrities, but that’s exactly what she did for Bill and Hillary Clinton as the head of the White House Visitor’s Office – a job that made her everybody’s “best friend” in Washington.

A native of Washington DC, in 1964, as a freshman at Georgetown University, Melinda met classmate Bill Clinton and developed a friendship that has lasted a lifetime.  In 1992 Melinda volunteered on Governor Clinton’s presidential campaign and when he won the election, decided to look for a job in the new administration.  She happily found the perfect fit – as head of the White House Visitors Office, and did her job so well she became the only person in history to run the Office for all eight years of an administration.  She is also the first person in that position to be a Special Assistant to the President – a title that makes heads turn in Washington DC.

Melinda knows everything you want – and need – to know about life inside the White House.  And she wasn’t just another staff member working away in the East Wing. Melinda’s personal, lifelong friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton afforded her a level of access restricted from most staff – organizing and attending state dinners, receptions, bill signings, press conferences and every kind of White House event. Among the biggest challenges was coordinating the annual Easter Egg Roll – a huge public event for more than 30,000 people on the South Lawn.  As an outgoing Bush staffer had warned, “If you can pull off an Egg Roll, you can do anything!”

Melinda represented the President and First Lady in countless television and radio interviews discussing White House events, tours and celebrations. But what everyone really loves are the inside tidbits about the celebrities, from Darryl Waltrip to Barbara Walters, Oprah to Jewel, Tom Selleck to Dr. Ruth, rustic to royalty – she spent time with scores of the most fascinating people from all walks of life and shares her amazing firsthand stories and insights in the pages of the her book.   As Special Assistant and Director serving alongside President Clinton and First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton, Melinda Bates was – and is – a true White House Insider.