As Texas Tech University celebrates its centennial year in 2023, the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business will highlight impactful individuals from years past. While each person be it as a student, alumni, friend, faculty or staff member may have impacted the college or their industry differently, one thing will always be constant: they are all part of the Rawls College legacy.

Rosemary Pledger earned the first-ever PhD of Business Administration from Texas Tech in 1968. She went on to serve as the first dean of the School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Houston Clear Lake. During her tenure at UHCL, she led the school to accredited status by the American Assembly of Collegiate School of Business.

In 1979, she was the first woman to serve as president of the National Academy of Management.

Dr. Pledger believed that business at that time was conducted through the "good old boy" network. She developed a vision to create a "good old gal" network to empower women to achieve their goals in business. In 1981 she led the establishment of the Association of Business and Professional Women, a network that is still thriving today.

Dr. Pledger climbed to the top of her profession and became a role model for other professional women, especially in the academic field, she successfully cracked the glass ceiling.

For more information on the impact of Rawls College, please visit the centennial exhibit at the Texas Tech Museum.