Before she began serving in Congress, Valerie worked as an administrator for the Chapel Hill police department and served 25 years as a local and state elected official. She went from serving on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board, to being the first African American woman elected to chair the Orange County Board of Commissioners, to serving in the North Carolina State House and the North Carolina State Senate.

In Congress, Valerie serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and is the Vice Ranking Member of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and a member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. She also serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and is the Ranking Member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee and a member of the Energy Subcommittee.

Valerie was born and raised in Orange County and received her undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Stanley, and they are parents of two sons and one grandson.