Clinton Names Ellen DeGeneres Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced that Ellen DeGeneres has been named as a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness.

Clinton made the announcement on Tuesday during an address on HIV/AIDS at the National Institutes of Health. The Obama administration says that Ms. DeGeneres will use her celebrity to raise awareness about the global fight against AIDS.

"By lending us your energy , compassion and star power to serve as our Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness, your words will encourage Americans in joining you to make their voices heard in our campaign to achieve an AIDS-free generation," Clinton stated in a letter to DeGeneres.

"I'm honored to have been chosen," said DeGeneres. "The fight against AIDS is something that has always been close to my heart... Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go look up what "envoy" means.

DeGeneres reaches millions through her television program "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," she also has 8 million followers on Twitter and 5.8 million Facebook fans.