Most Influential

University of Houston prez Renu Khator put up there with Pepsi CEO, PadmaLakshmi & governor

The University of Houston System Board of Regents selected Renu Khator to fill the dual position of University of Houston president and University of Houston System chancellor in November 2007 — and it clearly made the right decision.

Over just four years in office, Khator has helped to grow enrollment and firm the university's position as a Tier One-worthy institution, all while facing budgetary challenges. On top of that, she is serving as a role model to women in general, and Indian women in particular.

SiliconIndia.com — a news source for, by and about Indians from around the world — has named Khator one of the Five Most Influential Indian Women in the U.S.:

Renu Khator is the Chancellor and President of University of Houston, who holds the prestige of being the first foreign-born President of the University. She is also the first Indian-origin woman heading a prominent research university in U.S.

 Renu is an active member for numerous boards and organizations such as [the Moffitt] Cancer Hospital Board of Directors, the Hillsborough Education Foundation Board and the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Management. She is also the author of many books and articles on issues related to global public administration and environmental policies.

 Born in Uttar Pradesh, Renu received bachelors degree from the University of Kanpur, from Purdue University she completed MA in political science. She has also received doctorates in public administration and political science. Renu began her career at University of South Florida, where she was in charge of various positions."

Other Indian women who made the list are Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; Shefali Duggal, who was recently named one of the "Most Powerful and Influential Women of California" by the National Diversity Council; and Padma Lakshmi, former wife of author Salman Rushdie and former lover of Houston's Adam Dell. Lakshmi is most well known as the host of Bravo TV's Top Chef.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”