Chloe R. Woods | Leader of Tomorrow

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CHLOE R. WOODS | WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |  ST. LOUIS

Law student Chloe Woods serves as lieutenant governor of diversity for the American Bar Association and national director of public relations for the National Black Law Students Association. Her activities include being part of the Jurisprudence law review and the Real Estate Development Law Society at Washington University as well as serving on the Chancellor’s Commencement Committee. Woods co-chairs the law school’s pro bono pledge initiative and volunteers at the City of St. Louis Juvenile Court. As an alumna of the Boys & Girls Club of St. Louis, she still assists the group with projects.

When you were growing up, what did you want to be? I’ve always wanted to be an attorney. Growing up with a parent incarcerated, I had an early interaction with the legal system and with what I saw as injustices and discrepancies. Consequently, I knew I would be committed to a career in the legal profession and to helping others.

Outside of family members, who is an important mentor to you? Flint Fowler of the Boys & Girls Club of St. Louis (formerly Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club) has been a mentor and role model while growing up. It was through his guidance and recommendation that I got my first job after undergrad. Adrienne Bracy, the first female executive in the NFL, has also been a great mentor and resource for me. She has repeatedly shattered glass ceilings, but ultimately returned to philanthropic work as the CEO of the YWCA St. Louis.  I would be remiss to not mention that Judge Kathy Surratt-States has been a phenomenal mentor and role model for me. She is an inspiration and shows that you can have brains, beauty, a successful career a family, and the respect of your colleagues. She is my modern renaissance woman and someone I aspire to be.

What is the best advice you ever got — or best advice you have to offer? “Don’t be the best female attorney, or black female attorney, or sports attorney, or real estate attorney … be the best attorney you can be. No qualifiers, no modifiers. Focus on your craft. Lead with your success. Those other attributes contribute to you being special, but do not define who you are.”