Valerie Jarrett, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama

As the former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. During her career at the White House, she helped diverse groups of advocates’ efforts to strengthen and improve access to middle class and helped champion equality and opportunity for all Americans. She continues to work on campaigns to end sexual assault and workplace policies that empower working families and promote entrepreneurship and early childhood education.

Prior to serving in the White House, Jarrett was the chief executive officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, commissioner of planning and development and deputy chief of staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Prior to that, she served as co-chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Trans Team and the director of corporate and not-for-profit boards including the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Jarrett received her Bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford University in 1978 and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.