Women Law Students Honor Alumnae With Gayle Pettus Pontz Award

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From left: Amy Tu and Leana Houston

The U of A School of Law Women's Law Student Association, known as WLSA to law school students and alumni, will honor Amy Tu J.D.'96 and Leana Houston J.D.'92 with the Gayle Pettus Pontz Award.

They will be celebrated and recognized at the Law Alumni Reunion Award Dinner on April 9. Houston and Tu are the 2021 and 2022 awardees, respectively.

Each year, students identify women who promote WLSA's objectives of helping women thrive in law school, creating a community that will raise awareness of women's issues and advancing women in the legal profession. The honor recognizes those who best represent the accomplishments of women and the legal community as a whole.

The Gayle Pettus Pontz Award was established in 1985 to honor the first woman graduate of the U of A School of Law. Pontz LL.B.'37 was also the award's first recipient. After law school, Pontz returned to her native Louisiana, where she served as the state's first woman Assistant U.S. Attorney. She was a law clerk for the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans and the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport. She retired from the Second Circuit Court in 1978.

AMY TU

Amy Tu is the chief legal officer and secretary at Tyson Foods, where she leads the team that manages the organization's most significant risks and leverages its most significant opportunities. Her Global Governance and Corporate Affairs organization comprises nearly 5,000 team members across 10 functions and many areas of expertise. She oversees the legal, government affairs, corporate communications, ethics and compliance, audit services, health and safety, food safety and quality assurance, environment, corporate services and aviation functions.

Tu joined Tyson Foods from The Boeing Company, where she held progressive leadership positions in law and corporate development and strategy departments. She served as chief counsel for Boeing global law affairs, commercial airplanes and aviation services divisions, supporting multiple business and functional leaders worldwide. Tu was also instrumental in shaping the global law affairs practice as Boeing's first regional counsel based in London, U.K., with responsibilities for commercial, military and defense matters in Europe, Russia and Israel. Prior to joining Boeing in 2001, Amy led global transactions and international legal matters as an international corporate counsel at The Gap and Walmart. 

Over the course of her career, Tu has developed deep expertise establishing and supporting global operations, executing complex cross-border, international and domestic transactions, and developing and integrating teams and new ventures into existing businesses. 

Tu earned a Juris Doctor degree from the U of A School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Wellesley College, and in 2013 was selected as the Johnson Fellow for the U of A. Tu serves as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Council Executive Committee and as a board member for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

Leana Houston

Leana Houston has been a dedicated advocate for indigent defendants for over 20 years. Currently, she serves as the chief deputy public defender for Washington County. She has handled a large number of felony cases of all levels, working diligently to defend the rights of those in our community.

WLSA also recognized Houston's continued mentorship and guidance efforts to encourage women pursuing undergraduate and law degrees and entering the legal profession.

Prior to joining the Washington County Public Defender's Office in 2000, Houston worked for Legal Aid of Arkansas (then Ozark Legal Services) right after graduation. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the U of A School of Law in 1992.

Houston is a wife and mother of two. She is a pet lover and has many cats and dogs. She also fosters animals from local shelters and helps find them homes.

About the School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. as well as an advanced LL.M. program, which are taught by nationally recognized faculty. The school offers unique opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work, externships, live client clinics, competitions, and food and agriculture initiatives. The school strives to identify, discuss, and challenge issues of race, color, ethnicity, and the impact(s) they have on students, faculty, and staff members in an effort to achieve a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. From admitting the Six Pioneers who were the first African American students to attend law school in the South without a court order to graduating governors, judges, prosecutors, and faculty who went on to become President of the United States and Secretary of State, the law school has a rich history and culture. Follows us at @uarklaw.