Valerie Jarrett, who served throughout the entirety of the Obama administration as senior advisor and assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, discusses her family history, personal and professional development, long relationships with Barack and Michelle Obama, and the significance of Chicago toward the political trajectory of the Obamas. Jarrett reflects on the North Kenwood and Hyde Park neighborhoods, the administration and legacy of Mayor Harold Washington, the significance of the University of Chicago, and her introduction of Barack and Michelle Obama to Chicago’s business, political, and cultural communities. Jarrett also provides details about her role in the Obama White House, and outlines the structure of the West Wing and its decision- and policy-making procedures, the role of women in the administration, and the relationship between the East and West Wings. Also discussed are Jarrett's approach to mentorship and advisement, the balance between her personal and professional relationships with the Obamas, and importance of consensus to the White House's internal procedures
Presidents--United States; Women--Political activity; Jarrett, Valerie, 1956-; Obama, Barack; Obama, Michelle, 1964-; Washington, Harold, 1922-1987; University of Chicago
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
43 pages
Note (Biographical)
Valerie Jarrett served in the Obama administration as senior advisor and assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs from 2009 to 2017. Before joining the administration, Jarrett was co-chair of the Obama-Biden presi dential transition and senior advisor to the Obama 2008 presidential campaign. She also chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls and the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport. Jarrett got her start in Chicago politics in 1987 working for Mayor Harold Washington as deputy corporation counsel for finance and development. She was deputy chief of staff for Mayor Richard Daley, during which time she hired Michelle Robinson, then engaged to Barack Obama. Jarrett served as commissioner of the department of planning and development from 1992 through 1995, and she was chairwoman of the Chicago Transit Authority from 1995 to 2003. In 2021, she was named as president of the Obama Foundation
Note
Interviewed by Jacqueline Stewart on June 22, 2021. This interview is part of the University of Chicago: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Valerie Jarrett, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022