VALERIE JARRETT

Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama; Chair, White House Council on Women and Girls
@ValerieJarrett

Valerie B. Jarrett was the longest serving senior advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. She oversaw the administration’s advocacy for workplace policies that empower working families—including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare—and led the campaigns to reform our criminal justice system, end sexual assault, and reduce gun violence. Previously, she served as the CEO 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. She also served as chairman of the board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Jarrett has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” Jarrett received her BA from Stanford University in 1978 and her JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.