Valerie Jarrett

Valerie Jarrett is a businesswoman and former government official who was the longest-serving senior advisor to President Barack Obama. She has been the chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation since 2021.

Jarrett was born November 14, 1956, in Shiraz, Iran to American parents, moving with her family to London at age five and then to Chicago in 1962. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Stanford University in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

Jarrett began working in the Chicago mayor's office in 1987, first as deputy corporation counsel for finance and development for Mayor Harold Washington, as deputy chief of staff for Mayor Richard Daley in 1991, and as commissioner of the department of planning and development from 1991 to 1995. While working for Mayor Daley, Jarrett hired Michelle Robinson, who was engaged to Barack Obama, for a position in the mayor’s office. From 1995 to 2009, Jarrett was the CEO of The Habitat Company, a real estate development and management company. During this time, she also served on a number of public and private boards, including the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago Medical Center, the Chicago Transit Board, Chicago Stock Exchange, the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and the board of directors of USG Corporation.

Jarrett served as the finance chair of Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign, treasurer of his political action committee, and a senior advisor to his 2008 presidential campaign. After Obama’s election as president, Jarrett served as co-chair of his transition team. As a senior advisor during the Obama administration, Jarrett managed the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Office of Urban Affairs; chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls and the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport; and co-chaired the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

After leaving the White House, Jarrett became a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation. She is a member of the foundation's board of directors and has served as the chief executive officer since 2021.

Pallardy, Richard. (March 12, 2025).Valerie Jarrett: American lawyer, businesswoman, and politician. In Britannica. Retrieved on May 8, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Valerie-Jarrett.

The Obama Foundation. 2025. “Valerie Jarret – Foundation Leadership.” https://www.obama.org/about/leadership/valerie-jarrett/

The White House (archived). 2017. “Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.” https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/senior-leadership/valerie-jarrett.

Photo courtesy of the Obama Foundation