Meeting to Convene at San Francisco Marriott Marquis, October 17-21

CHICAGO ­– (July 6, 2018)— Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett will be the keynote speakers at this year’s Annual Meeting of DRI –The Voice of the Defense Bar in San Francisco, October 17-21.

From January 2005 to 2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, the second woman and first African American woman to hold the post. Rice also served as President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor from January 2001 to 2005, the first woman to hold the position.

From 1989 through March 1991, Rice served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff. She served as Director; Senior Director of Soviet and East European Affairs; and, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Rice served as Stanford University’s Provost from 1993-1999, during which she was the institution's chief budget and academic officer. She is currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice has been awarded thirteen honorary degrees.

Her talk will be titled “A Look at Diplomacy and Security Around the World.”

Valerie Jarrett was the longest serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Office of Public Engagement, the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Ms. Jarrett championed the creation of equality and opportunity for all Americans, and economically and politically empowering women in the United States and around the world. She oversaw the Administration’s advocacy for workplace policies for working families, including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare.

Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

She also served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

 Ms. Jarrett has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, as well as inclusion in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a senior fellow at the University of Chicago Law School and a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation.

She will participate in a moderated conversation titled, “The Room Where It Happens.”

More information regarding the DRI Annual Meeting is available at www.dri.org.

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About DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar

For more than fifty-five years, DRI has been the voice of the defense bar, advocating for 22,000 defense attorneys, commercial trial attorneys, and corporate counsel and defending the integrity of the civil judiciary. A thought leader, DRI provides world-class legal education, deep expertise for policy-makers, legal resources, and networking opportunities to facilitate career and law firm growth. For more information, log on to www.dri.org

Meeting to Convene at San Francisco Marriott Marquis, October 17-21

CHICAGO ­– (July 6, 2018)— Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett will be the keynote speakers at this year’s Annual Meeting of DRI –The Voice of the Defense Bar in San Francisco, October 17-21.

From January 2005 to 2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, the second woman and first African American woman to hold the post. Rice also served as President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor from January 2001 to 2005, the first woman to hold the position.

From 1989 through March 1991, Rice served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff. She served as Director; Senior Director of Soviet and East European Affairs; and, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Rice served as Stanford University’s Provost from 1993-1999, during which she was the institution's chief budget and academic officer. She is currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice has been awarded thirteen honorary degrees.

Her talk will be titled “A Look at Diplomacy and Security Around the World.”

Valerie Jarrett was the longest serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Office of Public Engagement, the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Ms. Jarrett championed the creation of equality and opportunity for all Americans, and economically and politically empowering women in the United States and around the world. She oversaw the Administration’s advocacy for workplace policies for working families, including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare.

Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

She also served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

 Ms. Jarrett has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, as well as inclusion in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a senior fellow at the University of Chicago Law School and a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation.

She will participate in a moderated conversation titled, “The Room Where It Happens.”

More information regarding the DRI Annual Meeting is available at www.dri.org.

###

About DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar

For more than fifty-five years, DRI has been the voice of the defense bar, advocating for 22,000 defense attorneys, commercial trial attorneys, and corporate counsel and defending the integrity of the civil judiciary. A thought leader, DRI provides world-class legal education, deep expertise for policy-makers, legal resources, and networking opportunities to facilitate career and law firm growth. For more information, log on to www.dri.org