On September 22, 2020, DirectWomen board member Patricia K. Gillette sat down for a candid conversation with 2021 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Honoree Valerie B. Jarrett to discuss her New York Times bestselling memoir, Finding My Voice: When the Perfect Plan Crumbles, the Adventure Begins.

Throughout her incredible career in law, business and public service, Valerie Jarrett was often the only woman—particularly the only African American woman—in the room. In FINDING MY VOICE, Jarrett invites readers into her life along her remarkable journey from childhood in Iran to the White House and beyond. Through personal stories, Jarrett offers her optimistic view on the importance of leadership and the responsibilities of citizenship in the twenty-first century, inspiring readers to lift their own voices.