Sofia Adrogué
Nominating Organization: Holocaust Museum Houston
Occupation: Lawyer
As co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), civil rights icon Dolores Huerta coined the UFW motto “si, se puede,” which means “yes, we can.” Nobody exemplifies the “si, se puede” can-do spirit better than Sofia Adrogué. As a force of nature, Sofia selfishly pays it forward time and time again. Sofia’s personal “mantra” and “secret to success” is the following motto: “We all have two choices: we can make a living or we can design a life.” Consequently, Sofia purposefully chooses to design a life that prioritizes giving back and serves as a catalyst for positive change.
Within our community, philanthropically, Sofia has chaired numerous events for diverse non-profits, and serves and/or has served on the Board of Directors of, among other entities, the American Leadership Forum Houston; BARC Foundation (former Chair of Advisory Board); Girls Inc. of Greater Houston (former President and Board Chair); Houston Law Review Alumni Association (former President); Memorial Hermann Foundation; RICE-TMS; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Theatre Under The Stars; UH Law Center Immigration Clinic (Executive Committee); United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast; and the University of Texas Health Science Center Foundation.
Sofia has also served on the alumni boards of all her alma maters—St. Agnes, Rice University and the University of Houston Law Center. Additionally, Sofia serves the City of Houston, appointed by the Mayor of Houston and Houston City Council, on the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board where she serves as Chair of Appointments Subcommittee for Boards and Commissions, envisioning and chairing the Inaugural Boards and Commission Fair for the City of Houston. She also serves on the Houston First Corporation Board of Directors. The Houston First Corporation manages more than 10 city-owned buildings and properties and underground and surface parking (the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel, George R. Brown Convention Center, Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Wortham Theater Center, Talento Bilingüe de Houston, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston First Outdoors (which includes Jones Plaza and other small venues) and Theater District Parking).
Professionally, Sofia serves and/or has served statewide on THE ADVOCATE Editorial Board, the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, the CLE, Mentor and Professionalism Committees of the State Bar of Texas as well as, locally, on the CLE, THE HOUSTON LAWYER and the Professionalism Committees of the Houston Bar Association. A former University of Houston Law Center Adjunct Law Professor in Mass Torts Litigation, she is a frequent CLE Speaker and/or Chair (over 125 speeches) and publisher (over 120 publications). She created and is the Editor of ALM’s TEXAS BUSINESS LITIGATION treatise (now in its 4th Edition, 1800 plus pages) and is the Chair of the TEXAS BUSINESS LITIGATION CLEs.
