Former Aide to President Obama Discusses New Book and What’s Next

Valerie Jarrett will be speaking at the Michigan Theater on Monday.

Meta Stange/WDET

During the presidency of Barack Obama, there was perhaps no one closer to him as an advisor than Valerie Jarrett.

She was the president’s longest-serving aide and had an inside view to the administration’s work on health care, racial equality and same-sex marriage.

And now, she’s senior advisor to the Obama Foundation.

That’s a long way from her early days in Chicago, working for legendary mayor Richard Daley, or attending law school at the University of Michigan.

Jarrett’s new book, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, details how she came to be such a close confidant of the Obama family, and President Obama himself.

Jarrett speaks with Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson about her career, the new book, and what’s next.

Jarrett will be giving a talk on Monday, April 22nd in Ann Arbor at the Michigan Theater. More info is available here.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation. 

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.