Feature

Mentor Spotlight: Valerie Jarrett

As CEO of The Habitat Company and an advisor to Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Valerie Jarrett is among Chicago's professional elite.

Last month Jarrett was a guest speaker for this year's Leadership in Chicago course, talking to students about her career and lessons learned. She also answered their questions on a range of topics, including housing and urban development policy. Jarrett is no stranger to the University of Chicago. She is vice-chair of University's Board of Trustees, chair of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board, former chair of the School of Social Service Administration's Visiting Committee, and has been a long-time participant in the Harris School's Mentor Program.

After graduating from law school, Jarrett took a self-described "path of least resistance," joining a corporate law firm though her heart was in public sector work. She spent six years at the firm, but after the birth of her daughter she realized her standards for professional satisfaction had grown. "Things were never the same after I took maternity leave," she said.

So, Jarrett began speaking with friends working in other fields. "I had never really taken a deliberate approach to my life before," she said. She accepted a position in the law department of Mayor Harold Washington's office. She ended up staying for eight years and eventually became deputy chief of staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley. During her tenure, she created the Department of Planning and Development and was asked by Daley to be its commissioner.

Deliberating whether to take the position, Jarrett took the advice of a confidant who said, "When something comes across that's going to challenge you or push you in a direction where you're a little uncomfortable, go with it." Jarrett said she felt privileged to help improve Chicago. "On my worst day, I couldn't believe they paid me to do what I was doing."

After nearly a decade in city government, Jarrett decided to move back to the private sector-specifically community development, the area of the Department of Planning and Development's jurisdiction she enjoyed most. At The Habitat Company-a real estate management and development company-she has been able to do similar work as in the Mayor's Office and collaborate with many of the same partners. "It was a nice segue for me," said Jarrett.

Now behind the scenes as an advisor to the Obama campaign, Jarrett called it "the most exciting thing I've ever worked on in my life." She travels with Obama three days a week, often to parts of the country she has never been. "It's been a rich and diverse [experience], but it's also been amazing to see how similar people are," she observed-everyone has same basic desires and hopes for the future.

"One of the real successes of the campaign has not just been a connection between Barack and people but between people and people." People who have never voted before-especially young people-are knocking on doors, making calls, and are excited about this election.

"You do need to figure out what your passion is," Jarrett advised students. "You have to get to know yourself and be honest with yourself."

The views expressed in this article do not reflect those of the Harris School or the University of Chicago. The Harris School and the University are non-partisan and do not endorse any candidates or their platforms.