Valerie Jarrett To Receive 2025 Woman Of Power Barbara Graves Award

Valerie Jarrett will receive the honor at the 19th annual Women of Power Summit in March.

BLACK ENTERPRISE is honored to give Valerie Jarrett the Barbara Graves Award at the 2025 Women of Power Summit, which takes place March 5-8 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

The Barbara Graves Award, the highest honor to be bestowed during the 19th annual summit, is named in honor of the extraordinary wife of BE founder Earl G. Graves Sr.

Jarrett’s excellence, exceptional career path, exemplary character and civic service, speaks to why she is the 2025 recipient.

Jarrett, a citizen of the world, was born in Iran Nov. 14, 1956, and attended school in London. The unique tale of her birth, early childhood, and time abroad shaped her into the woman she is today.

“I learned that our stories are important. They reflect who we are. And I spent so much time trying to pretend like I was like everyone else when where I was different is my uniqueness, and it helped make me who I am,” she told NPR.

Jarrett attended the prestigious Stanford University and later obtained her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. After completing her studies, Jarrett stepped into political waters, working with Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in the 1980s.

As an attorney, Jarrett worked in multiple capacities with the city of Chicago, including the Chicago Transit Authority in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Chicago Stock Exchange (2004-2007), and eventually landed the role of CEO at the Habitat Company.

In 2008, Jarrett joined forces with a longtime friend and colleague Barack Obama to make history. Working with the first Black president, Jarrett became the longest-running senior advisor to any presidential administration. Her valued input helped shape legislation during President Obama’s two terms in office. She now serves as CEO of the Obama Foundation.

The CEO is no stranger to the BE Woman of Power Summit. In 2019, Jarrett hosted a fireside chat with Simone Sanders, winner of the 2019 Luminary Award. Jarrett admitted Washington “is a rough and tumble place” and applauded Sanders for her tenacity and unwavering dedication to be herself. The praise was no small feat coming from the history-making executive.

Creating space for Sanders to tell her story, Jarrett revealed her witty sense of humor. She opened her arms to a fellow woman in politics by staying present and curious. Her grace, intelligence, and dedication to improving the lives of others shone through. This year BE will honor the renaissance woman for these attributes and more.

Jarrett authored the New York Times bestseller, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward. The book, published in April 2019, details her extraordinary path of service while sharing pearls of wisdom.

The CEO believes her “glass half-full” approach to life helps push her forward.