Virginia Apuzzo has been at the forefront of national politics and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement for over 20 years. Her experience in the highest circles of government and social change leadership give her unique insight into the strategies and tactics for pushing progressive policy change. Virginia Apuzzo's distinguished record in public service and advocacy continues as she joins the Policy Institute of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, to assume the first endowed Chair in the GLBT movement dedicated to strategy development, which is named in her honor. As the holder of the Virginia Apuzzo Chair for Leadership in Public Policy, Apuzzo will continue to craft innovative tactics for advancing GLBT equality drawing on her many years of public service and vision for change.

Apuzzo made history on October 1, 1997 when she was appointed to the White House as Assistant to the President for Management and Administration, making her the highest ranking openly gay or lesbian government official in the nation. In this position, Apuzzo was responsible for all of the agencies of the Executive Office including the White House Military Office and Air Force One and served as a liaison between the White House and other Federal Agencies providing operational support to the White House. Yet even prior to her White House appointment, Apuzzo's historical role in politics was already well established.

In 1976, Apuzzo lobbied for a gay rights plank at the Democratic National Platform hearings on behalf of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the nation's oldest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. In 1980, Apuzzo served as an openly lesbian delegate to the Democratic National Convention co-authoring the first gay and lesbian civil rights plank of a major political party, a plank she worked to strengthen as a delegate to the 1984 Democratic National Convention.

From 1982-1986, Apuzzo served as the executive director of the NGLTF. Apuzzo retooled NGLTF's policy advocacy to incorporate the new challenges facing the GLBT movement Ð AIDS. As a pre-eminent civil rights advocate, she traveled extensively throughout the country, testifying at the very first Congressional hearing on AIDS where she criticized the government's response to the growing epidemic as "one of gestures, not actions." Apuzzo continued to testify at numerous other United States Senate and House Committee Hearings, on subjects ranging from increased funding for AIDS to the nominee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

In 1983, Apuzzo was instrumental in lobbying to include black lesbian feminist poet, Audre Lorde on the stage of the march marking the 20th Anniversary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington. Lorde said later that this was, "the first time that the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement joined hands and acknowledged each other."

From 1985-1991, Apuzzo served as the Deputy Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board, where she was in charge of running agency programs and operations. In that position, she confronted pharmaceutical companies with the twin issues of unsubstantiated claims for AIDS medication and the unconscionable pricing of AZT and pentamidine. In 1985, Apuzzo was also appointed by New York Governor Cuomo as Vice-Chair of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council, a position she held until 1996. From 1986-1989, Apuzzo served as the Governor Cuomo's Liaison to the Lesbian and Gay Community. Apuzzo's unique combination of both government service and activism continued throughout her work.

Apuzzo served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal from 1991-1994. In 1994, Apuzzo was confirmed as President of the New York State Civil Service Commission and as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Civil Service. During her tenure in these positions, Apuzzo was instrumental with her colleagues in urging the provision of domestic partnership benefits to New York state employees. Additionally, in 1996 Apuzzo joined the Department of Labor as Associate Deputy Secretary and received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the Civil Service Merit Council for "her efforts in upholding the Civil Law and advancing the principles of the merit system."