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Michele McClave, Commissioner of the Albany County Department of Social Services, has dedicated her career to serving vulnerable and marginalized persons. Michele started her career as an advocate for the mentally ill and senior citizens living in poor conditions in Atlanta’s boarding homes for the deinstitutionalized. While obtaining her Master’s Degree, she worked as a Research Assistant with The Men’s Project, a groundbreaking study surveying gay men on their HIV risk and status during the early days of the AIDS crisis. She was the first Director of Client Services at the Alliance for Positive Health (formerly AIDS Council of NENY) and worked there for 22 years on behalf of people living with and at-risk for HIV/AIDS. She became their Program Director, Deputy Director and served as Executive Director for 15 years, leading the agency to develop cutting edge, effective and compassionate services delivered to the diverse constituencies affected by HIV/AIDS and expanding the model of service delivery to other chronic diseases. After a long career in the non-profit world, she transitioned to the government sector, becoming Deputy Commissioner at the Albany County Department of Social Services in January 2015. She was appointed DSS Commissioner in November 2016 under Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. There, she continues to advocate on behalf of those neglected and ostracized by society working to assure there is a safety net for the most vulnerable. Michele is working with the DSS team to create changes in service delivery, striving to make the client experience at DSS as professional and streamlined as possible. Michele has a Masters in Social Work from the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, and a Bachelor’s degree from Penn State.