The first cousin to Valerie's mother, and graddaughter of Robert Robinson Taylor, is Ann Dibble Cook Jordan, who's own influence rivals that of Valerie herself. A graduate of Vassar and the University of Chicago, she became the Director of Social Services at the University of Chicago Medical School. She now serves as Trustee Emeritus for the University of Chicago and have sat on the following boards.
Revlon, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
The University of Chicago
Citigroup Inc.
The Brookings Institution
Citigroup Finance Canada ULC
Allied Security Holdings LLC
Catalyst Inc.
Ann's first husband was Mercer Cook. He was the son of a prominent Washingtonian family. His great grandfather was John Hartwell Cook, a graduate of Oberlin College, and the first Dean of Howard Law School. His father, W. Mercer Cook, served as the Ambassador to Nigeria and Senegal.
Mercer Cook | The HistoryMakers
Ann is currently married to Vernon Jordan, who was apparently a small fry until he married into her family. Vernon was a close friend to President Bill Clinton, where he served as top advisor under Clinton's administration. And is suppesdly the one that took care of the Monica Lewinsky situation.
Jordan was the Director of the National Urban League and previously had ties to top Wall Street law firms and investment banking firm (Lazard). He's been the only black man invited on multiple occasions to the Bildeberg Conference. He has the reputation of being one of the most powerful men in Washington.
Here's an article written on Ann Dibble's influence:
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN