Alumna Honored by Students with Gayle Pettus Pontz Award

Photos by Russell Cothren, University Relations

Dina Wood

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas School of Law Women Law Students Association, known as WLSA to law school students and alumni, will honor Dina Wood (J.D. '88) with the Gayle Pettus Pontz Award during a reception at 5 p.m. Monday, April 10, at Fresco Cafe and Pub on Center Street in Fayetteville.

The student organization presents the Gayle Pettus Pontz Award to a female graduate or a woman with connections to the local legal community who best represents the accomplishments of women and the legal community as a whole and who promotes the association'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 faculty and staff of the law school prepare students for leadership in law, business, public service and other professions. Wood is a licensed attorney and member of the Arkansas Bar Association, and her career exemplifies the many ways a legal education can contribute to success outside traditional practice.

She began her career in Little Rock as an assistant attorney general and moved on to director of special programs for the Commission of State Lands Office. She worked for the Clinton-Gore administration in Washington, D.C., first in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House, then at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and finally as the director of intergovernmental affairs for Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Wood became senior director of development for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Arkansas Region in fall 2014. Before that, she served as director of development for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, spent 11 years with the University of Arkansas working in University Advancement and for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, was a congressional campaign consultant and practiced law at Cochran & Croxton in Rogers.

Her commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism is evident within the University of Arkansas and beyond. She is a member of the School of Law Dean's Circle, a member of the School of Law's committee for Campaign Arkansas and a board member and program committee chair for the University of Arkansas Women's Giving Circle. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association's Probate and Trust Section, remains involved with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and is a former board member of the Arkansas Women's Foundation.

Her long list of honors includes being named a Paul Harris Fellow through her involvement with Springdale Rotary and to Arkansas Business "40 Under 40."

In addition to a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas, Wood also earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Fulbright College.