Ruthie White ’97, South Texas College of Law Houston board member since 2016, passed away Nov. 30.
“Ruthie was a perceptive and engaged member of our board, and we were blessed by her leadership, wisdom, and wit over several years,” said Genora Boykins ’85, chair of the STCL Houston board of directors. “She taught and mentored our students as an adjunct professor, taught multiple CLEs, and mentored many young lawyers about important topics, including diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. Her life made a positive impact on so many, and she will be greatly missed.”
White regularly volunteered her time and expertise on behalf of student at South Texas Law. She served on the board executive committee and chaired the board’s effectiveness and nominating committee in 2021. In addition, White regularly contributed pro bono legal services to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.
She was a partner, and the labor and employment practice group leader, at Spencer Fane in Houston. White’s broad in-house and outside-counsel background gave her the ability to counsel employers on a wide range of labor and employment issues.
White was passionate about diversity in the workplace, as well as fairness and equality in all areas of life. She founded The Downtown Group, a 200-member networking organization of African American female lawyers, and she contributed pro bono legal services to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. She was a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars for law schools and bar associations.
White earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, her J.D. from South Texas, and her MBA from the University of Houston.
Her wisdom, sense of humor, mentorship, and friendship were legendary. Read her official obituary and share your condolence reflections here: Ruthie White ’97 Obituary
Original source can be found here.