Foundation hosts Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett
"Anyone who heard the President's State of the Union address knows we are determined to win the future. As he said, we have to out-innovate, out-build, and out-educate our competitors if we want America to stay in first place." – Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama
"We came to listen,” Ms. Jarrett told a small group of Rhode Island’s top business leaders who
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| The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce (Laurie White, president, on far left) and The Rhode Island Foundation (Neil D. Steinberg, president and CEO, on far right) co-hosted this roundtable discussion for Valerie Jarrett (center) with Rhode Island business leaders. |
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| “We want to create an environment where business can invest and grow,” Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama, told a group of Rhode Island business leaders who gathered at the Foundation to provide input on how the Obama administration can best support business growth in the state. |
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gathered on April 27, 2011 at The Rhode Foundation for a dialogue on how the administration can best support business growth in the state. Ms. Jarrett’s visit, part of a White House Business Council listening tour, was co-hosted by the Foundation and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce at the request of the Council. More than 100 such roundtables are being held throughout the country this year “to give senior officials an opportunity to hear directly from the business community and engage in meaningful conversation on how best to support their growth and success.” “We want to know what the administration should be doing more of,” said Ms. Jarrett, adding, “and what we should be doing less of.” Agreeing with the group that jobs creation at both large and small businesses is critical to the state's, and the country's future, Ms. Jarrett also noted, “We are eager to figure out how to innovate. We want to create an environment where business can invest and grow. If you win, we win.” Ms. Jarrett is chair of the White House Council on Women and oversees the Offices of Intergovernmental Affairs; Public Engagement; Urban Affairs; and Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth. She worked in both the public and private sector before joining the Obama Administration.
"We want to create an environment where business can invest and grow. If you win, we win."
Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama |