Valerie Biden Owens never imagined her career after 50, but the political strategist, author and sister to President Joe Biden has been shattering age norms – and influencing the political landscape – for decades now.
Last year, she was honored in the “50 Over 50” impact list, created by Forbes and Know Your Value, which celebrates women over 50 who are making a difference in the non-profit, law, policy and education space.
At 77, she has reached a pinnacle in her life and shows no signs of slowing down. “Morning Joe” reporter and Know Your Value contributor Daniela Pierre-Bravo caught up with Biden Owens at a luncheon in New York City this month honoring the next group of women who made this year’s “50 Over 50” list.
“[Being on the first list] is a great honor but the real truth was, I never thought that I would be on a list where I admitted that I was over 50,” she quipped. “How could I be that old? But it was a real kick.”
Nevertheless, it was at 50 that Biden Owens decided to venture out on her own, departing from the so-called “family business” of her brother’s politics. She went on to work for a political media consultant and joined Women’s Campaign International, where she helped train women in emerging democracies about getting a seat at the political table.
She ultimately returned to manage her brother’s campaigns, including his successful 1972 Senate run, unsuccessful presidential attempts in 1988 and 2008, and eventually his election to the White House in 2020.
In 1972, when Joe Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a tragic car accident just weeks after the he won an upset victory over longtime U.S. Sen. Cale Boggs, Biden Owens moved in with his family to help take care of his sons – Hunter and Beau – so he could work in Washington, D.C.
“It’s not easy raising an older brother, so I had to get him settled,” she told Pierre-Bravo. “After I got him settled, then I could move on to other things.”
Biden Owens jumped from high school teacher to her brother’s Senate campaign manager at just 26, but admitted she never pictured her career over 50 back then. “I didn’t have a game plan but I knew that I always wanted to be in the game,” she said. “And my brother in his profession offered me great opportunities that I could be involved with him and spin off into other adventures of my own.”









