P.D. Soros Fellowship for New Americans

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Rina Thomas White, 2012

Owner and CEO, Laundry South Systems & Repair

Rina Thomas White is the child of immigrants from India

Fellowship awarded to support work towards a JD in Law at Harvard University

RINA THOMAS WHITE was born in New Orleans to parents from Kerala, India who passed on a strong Catholic faith tradition to her. She pursued a joint degree in international studies and business as part of the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, she returned home to post-Katrina Louisiana to work with the state's Department of Economic Development on projects to reverse the state's brain drain and to combat its high rates of poverty. She then served two legislative sessions as Governor Bobby Jindal's advisor on economic development, tax and budget policy before returning to school to pursue a JD. While at Harvard Law, Rina worked as a student attorney representing indigent clients in Boston's Housing Court. 

Following law school, Rina joined McKinsey and Company as a management consultant and focused her practice on the operational and marketing challenges facing industrial companies. In 2019, Rina launched a search for a privately-held business to buy and operate. In February of 2020, she closed on an acquisition of Laundry South Systems & Repair, a distributor of commercial laundry equipment across Mississippi and surrounding states. 

Rina lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband and two daughters. 

Education
  • JD Law | Harvard University 2015
  • BS Operations Management | University of Pennsylvania 2008
  • BA International Studies | University of Pennsylvania 2008
Work History
  • Laundry South Systems & Repair, Owner and CEO | February 2020 - PRESENT
  • McKinsey & Company, Engagement Manager | October 2015 - June 2019
  • Louisiana Economic Development, Manager, State Economic Competitiveness | October 2008 - March 2011
  • Office of Governor Bobby Jindal, Policy Advisor
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