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Wilda White
Title: Executive Director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice
Tel: 510-643-5402
Fax: 510-642-3728
Email Address: wwhite@law.berkeley.edu
Wilda L. White joined the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice in December, 2008, as the Center's Executive Director. She brings a broad base of experience to the position in both law and management. White began her career as a Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society in the South Bronx, primarily representing Spanish-speaking clients in unemployment, SSI, and general assistance appeals, and landlord-tenant law. After returning to California, she joined Sterns & Walker, first as an associate handling insurance bad faith, civil rights, and personal injury cases, and later becoming the firm's managing attorney. There she successfully resolved what was considered at the time to be the first disability insurance AIDS cases. She was also instrumental in persuading the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to end its practice of incarcerating mentally ill prisoners in the general prison population.
Immediately before joining the Henderson Center, White was a partner with Walker, Hamilton & White, where she handled personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights, and employment discrimination cases. She has tried over 30 cases before administrative law judges, trial courts, and juries.
She was also an Assistant City Editor at The Miami Herald during the time that the newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In addition, a story she investigated and wrote resulted in the release of a wrongfully incarcerated prisoner. White was also an international management consultant with McKinsey & Company, where she specialized in strategic planning.
From 2004 until she joined the Henderson Center, she was a Board Member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. She also served as a Director of the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education from 2000 to 2002.
In 2006, she was recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer.
She is licensed to practice law in the States of California and New York, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Education:
J.D., UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall)B.A., University of Vermont
M.B.A, Harvard College