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Event
Valerie Jarrett presents "Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward"
Women & Children First is honored to welcome Valerie Jarrett in celebration of her new memoir, FINDING MY VOICE: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward. This event will include a reading and moderated conversation with Susan Sher followed by a book signing. All tickets include a copy of FINDING MY VOICE. The ticket price includes the book. Attendees will pick up their copy of the book at the event.
When Valerie Jarrett interviewed a promising young lawyer named Michelle Robinson in July 1991 for a job in Chicago city government, neither knew that it was the first step on a path that would end in the White House. Jarrett soon became Michelle and Barack Obamas trusted personal adviser and family confidante; in the White House, she was known as the one who got him and helped him engage his public life. Jarrett joined the White House team on January 20, 2009 and departed with the First Family on January 20, 2017, and she was in the room in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, and everywhere else when it all happened. No one has as intimate a view of the Obama Years, nor one that reaches back as many decades, as Jarrett shares in Finding My Voice.
Born in Iran (where her father, a doctor, sought a better job than he could find in segregated America), Jarrett grew up in Chicago in the 60s as racial and gender barriers were being challenged. A single mother stagnating in corporate law, she found her voice in Harold Washington's historic administration, where she began a remarkable journey, ultimately becoming one of the most visible and influential African-American women of the twenty-first century.
From her work ensuring equality for women and girls, advancing civil rights, reforming our criminal justice system, and improving the lives of working families, to the real stories behind some of the most stirring moments of the Obama presidency, Jarrett shares her forthright, optimistic perspective on the importance of leadership and the responsibilities of citizenship in the twenty-first century, inspiring readers to lift their own voices.
Valerie Jarrett was the longest serving senior adviser to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Before joining the White House, she served as the chief executive officer 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. Jarrett has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including Times 100 Most Influential People. She received her B.A. from Stanford University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981. She is currently a senior adviser to the Obama Foundation and Attn and a senior distinguished fellow at the University of Chicago Law School.
Susan Sher is the Senior Adviser to the President of the University of Chicago, where she also serves as the University liaison to the Obama Foundation. Previously, she served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama where she was also Liaison to the Jewish Community. She also served as Associate White House Counsel, where she worked on health care reform and legal issues relating to the First Lady's office. She was previously Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel of the University of Chicago Medical Center. She was the first female Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago and a partner at Mayer Brown. She currently serves on the Boards of Trustees of Loyola University of Chicago; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Partnership for a Healthier America. She is past chair of the University of Chicago Lab Schools and of The Chicago Network.
Tickets are non-refundable. If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend, you'll have 30 days after the event to pick up your copy of FINDING MY VOICE. Proof of ticket purchase required.
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LocationEverybody's Coffee - Wilson Abbey (View)
935 W Wilson Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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