Valerie Jarrett to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2025 Women Of Excellence Event

Trailblazers Unite to Celebrate the Leadership and Impact of Exemplary Black Women at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk on March 21, 2025. CHICAGO – Valerie Jarrett, the longest-serving senior advisor to a U.S. president and Chief Executive Officer for the Obama Foundation, will receive the 2025 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award.& A trailblazer in politics, business, and civic leadership, Jarrett shaped history in the Obama White House. Now, she brings that same pioneering spirit to a night honoring the brilliance and resilience of Black women who are changing the game. Valerie Jarrett (Photo Credit: Obama Foundation). Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and WLS TV news anchor Cheryl Burton, this year’s Vanguard honorees, will join her.& These luminaries and the distinguished class of 50 honorees embody the theme for this year’s Women of Excellence event: “Unstoppable Voices: Leading with Purpose, Inspiring Through Action.” “For 18 years, the Women of Excellence event has shined a well-deserved spotlight on the brilliance, resilience, and leadership of African American women who continue to break barriers and uplift communities. Their journeys remind us that excellence is not just an achievement but a responsibility to pave the way for those who follow.”...