CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Valerie Jarrett
Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
Valerie Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversees the White House Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Jarrett was the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company. She also co-chaired the Obama-Biden transition team.
Jarrett has held positions in both the public and private sector, including Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley. She also practiced law with two private law firms.
Jarrett served as a director of corporate and not for profit boards, including Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees, Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Director of the USG Corporation, Inc., Director of Navigant Consulting, Inc., and Trustee at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.
