Patricia Fleming was the first Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy

Office of National AIDS Policy

The Office of National AIDS Policy coordinates the continuing domestic efforts to reduce the number of new infections in the United States. In addition, the Office works to coordinate an increasingly integrated approach to the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The Office also emphasizes...

, (ONAP) serving in that post between 1994 and 1997. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

, and was given direct access to the President and the cabinet. Fleming helped develop policy and budget proposals regarding AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

., as well as a national strategy. She also acted as a liaison to community groups and as coordinator between different government agencies dealing with AIDS.

A graduate of Vassar College

Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...

, Fleming's prior public service included working specifically on AIDS issues as a staff member for Congressman Ted Weiss between 1983 and 1992. During her years in Washington, she was also a special assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, and worked in the office of Civil Rights.