Meet Gita Bolt, J.D., UST's Chief Legal Counsel and the University’s first in-house counsel. Bolt joined leadership in March 2019, bringing her experience in the private and public sectors of higher education to campus. Bolt's career includes serving as General Counsel for Loyola University New Orleans and Texas Southern University and Vice President and General Counsel for the Houston Housing Authority.

A native Houstonian, Bolt attended Howard University, where she ran track and was named an Academic All-American. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Tulane University School of Law, along with a Sports Law Certification.

Her Office of General Counsel touches every department on campus. Duties encompass everything from employment and student affairs issues to real estate and public information requests.

Flashing her winning smile, Bolt said, "First, let me say that it is awesome to practice law on a college campus. I have had the opportunity to meet with student groups as well as faculty. In addition, the University-wide training on the American Disabilities Act introduced me to a lot of the faculty members."

Bolt is working on a back-to-basics video, to be used as part of ongoing training on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the amendment in 2008.

"This training is federal law, and compliance is required," Bolt said. "However, it’s also in keeping with what we seek to teach at the University of St. Thomas — to educate the whole person via goodness, discipline, knowledge and community."