Valerie Jarrett started the month with a book deal and ended it by landing on Lyft’s board of directors.
It has been a lucrative month for former President Barack Obama’s longest-serving senior adviser — she sealed a book deal with publishing house Viking in early July and joined the popular ride-hailing company Lyft on Monday.
“For months, we’ve been looking to add new skills sets, experience, and perspective to our board,” the company said on its official blog. “And we couldn’t have found a better partner than Valerie, an incredibly influential and respected businesswoman and civic leader.”
“Valerie most recently was Senior Advisor to President Obama and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the entirety of his term. While at the White House, she worked on issues ranging from economic growth and opportunity to workplace policies for the empowerment of working families. Valerie also brings experience tackling the problems and opportunities related to urban transportation through her roles as Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago and Chair of the Chicago Transit board.”
Ms. Jarett also released a statement saying that she is a “frequent Lyft passenger” who is “thrilled to join the ride.”
“We share a belief that reliable, affordable transportation positively impacts social mobility, and improves the quality of life in densely populated communities,” she said.
Logan Green, co-founder and CEO of Lyft, called Mr. Obama’s confidante “one of our country’s foremost leaders and a distinguished public servant, and a natural fit for our board.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.