Meet Valerie

Valerie Irick Rainford is a transformative leader, trusted advisor, and powerful voice for equity in leadership. With over 30 years in financial services, she has shattered ceilings and built pathways for others to rise.

Trailblazer at the Federal Reserve
Valerie made history at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she became the youngest officer and the first African-American woman to serve as Senior Vice President.
Business Leader & Equity Pioneer at JPMorgan Chase
At JPMorgan Chase, Valerie held senior business leadership roles and led key initiatives through the financial crisis. She later designed and launched Advancing Black Leaders, a game-changing strategy that increased Black executive representation by over 50% globally in just three years.
Founder & CEO of Elloree Talent Strategies
Today, she leads Elloree, a consulting firm that partners with organizations to embed equity into business strategy, leadership, and talent practices.
Bestselling Author & Inspirational Speaker
Valerie’s memoir, Until the Brighter Tomorrow, and her blog, In Search of Brighter Tomorrows, offer powerful lessons in resilience. She also uplifts emerging voices through Elloree Press, her boutique publishing company.

Valerie is known for her rare ability to connect business outcomes with bold, equity-centered leadership. Whether advising CEOs, coaching executives, or guiding organizations through Elloree, she brings clarity, courage, and impact to every engagement.

Profiled in Best-Selling Leadership Book

PROVOKE: How Leaders Shape the Future By Overcoming Fatal Human Flaws

Valerie Irick Rainford is one of three provocateurs profiled in this BESTSELLING leadership book by Geoff Tuff & Steven Goldbach.

The best leaders have conviction to act–even in the face of uncertainty–in order to “provoke” the future they desire. They are able to identify important inflection points earlier than others and then use actions to shape trends to their advantage rather wait for the change to arrive.

From the national bestselling authors who brought you Detonate: Why- and how- corporations must blow up best practices (and bring a beginner’s mind) to survive authors Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach explain why we act the way we do when faced with uncertainty and provide tools to do things differently. Rooted at the intersection between business and behavioral economics, Provoke is applicable to decisions in business, but also across many different aspects of the human experience, teaching people how to provoke as a mechanism to create a better future.