Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Valerie Jarret headlines Women's Conference in Charlotte

Presidential adviser and confidante Valerie Jarrett will give the keynote speech Wednesday at the N.C. Governor’s Conference for Women at the Charlotte Convention Center.

She’s the latest in a string of visits by administration officials that underscores the electoral importance of North Carolina to President Barack Obama in 2012.

Obama made a two-day bus tour of the state last week. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also have visited recently.

Over 1,500 women are expected to attend the conference.

Jarrett is a longtime friend of the president and his wife, Michelle. A lawyer, she once served as deputy chief of staff to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

“Valerie Jarrett, who has long been a friend of North Carolina, is the perfect speaker to address emerging issues affecting women and girls around our state, and the power that knowledge brings,” Gov. Bev Perdue said in a statement.