Join our IWD 2021 Keynote speaker, Valerie Jarrett, President of the Barak Obama Foundation & Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School.

Valerie Jarrett, President of the Barak Obama Foundation & Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School

Valerie Jarrett is the President of the Barack Obama Foundation and a Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School. She served as the Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009-2017, making her the longest serving senior advisor in history. In that role, she oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sector, serving as the CEO of The Habitat Company in Chicago, the Commissioner of Planning and Development for the city of Chicago, Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and as a law practitioner for ten years. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, and has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” Award.