..........Melinda Naumann Bates is a native of Washington DC, and lived there almost all her life.  In 1964, as a freshman at Georgetown University, she met a new classmate, Bill Clinton, and a lifelong friendship formed.
In 1985 Melinda joined the staff of the National Gallery of Art, as an exhibition supervisor.  Her first day on the job the Prince and Princess of Wales walked up to her and began a conversation about Treasure Houses of Britain.  As you can imagine, she loved her work there – the opportunities to walk through world class art galleries whenever she wanted, the beautiful buildings, the interesting people.  This is where she learned to enjoy working with the public, even when they’re cranky and demanding.
..........In 1992 Melinda volunteered on Candidate/Governor Clinton’s presidential campaign.  When he won the election, she decided to look for a job in the new administration.  Clintonista, A White House Memoir, tells the story of how she found the perfect job, how she got that job, and the eight amazing years that followed.
..........Melinda is the only person in history to be a Special Assistant to the President and Director, White House Visitors Office, for all eight years of an administration.  She made history of her own, while assisting President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as they made national and world history. 
Everyone loves the White House, including the hordes of movie, television, music and opera stars, the famous athletes, the celebrities du jour, the heads of state and government, and the political power players who visited every day.  Clintonista is filled with amusing stories about her encounters – the ones that went well, and the ones that, well, not so much…