The William S. Boyd School of Law Appoints John Valery White and Ruben J. Garcia to Named Professorships

The William S. Boyd School of Law is pleased to announce the appointment of two faculty members to named professorships. John Valery White has been named the E.L. Cord Professor of Law; and Ruben J. Garcia has been named the Ralph Denton Professor of Law. 

“A named professorship is the highest honor a faculty member can attain and is based on a long-term record of recognized excellence,” said Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law Leah Chan Grinvald. “John Valery White and Ruben J. Garcia have consistently been among our leading faculty members, with distinguished records of research, teaching, and service. I am thrilled to recognize them with this honor. I also would like to thank the E.L. Cord Foundation and the Joy McCann Foundation for their generosity in allowing us to honor our faculty members in this way.”

John Valery White teaches and writes on civil rights law. He is widely published, having contributed to multiple books and casebooks and written articles for law reviews and symposiums. Professor White has been featured as a guest speaker for a variety of national organizations. Professor White served as the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) and was recently appointed to the Executive Committee of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS). 

The E.L. Cord Professorship is named for the E.L. Cord Foundation, which generously supports education, arts, culture, and welfare in Nevada and was founded by the entrepreneur Errett Lobban Cord in 1962. 

Ruben J. Garcia teaches and writes on employment law and constitutional law. His scholarship has appeared in more than twenty leading law reviews and peer-reviewed publications. Most recently, Professor Garcia was recently appointed to the American Bar Association's (ABA) Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline, and to the Board of Governors of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Professor Garcia’s latest book, Critical Wage Theory: Why Wage Justice is Race Justice, was published in July 2024 by University of California Press.  He is an elected Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and an elected Member of the American Law Institute.

The Ralph Denton Professorship was named for native Nevadan and attorney Ralph Denton. The professorship was endowed in his name by the Joy McCann Foundation.