Rutledge named SU national alumni president

“Changes, Challenges, Continuity” was the theme at the annual Southern University alumni conference in Philadelphia this summer. For Domoine Rutledge, his new position as National Alumni President may just involve those concepts.
The Baton Rouge native is a 1992 political science graduate and a 1997 graduate of the Southern University Law Center. Admitted to practice law the same year, Rutledge left Louisiana to work for Rep. Cleo Fields in Washington, D.C.
Rutledge expresses his Southern University experience in one word, “wonderful.”
“I grew up in awe of Southern University,” Rutledge said. “I could hear football announcer Dickey Thurman from my grandmother’s porch on a quiet night.”
“Southern has been a very strong force in my life,” he said. “I am a very proud Southernite.”
The current Chief Legal Council for the East Baton Rouge school system, Rutledge is no novice to the functions of the Alumni Federation.
For the past six to seven years, Rutledge has severed in dual capacities as the first vice president and the general council, a position originally appointed under Michael Adams.
“I had an inner compulsion to give back,” Rutledge said. “We have to reach out. We are working to make linkages.”
To be considered for an elected position such as National President, notices are sent out to alumni members as well as in the Southernite magazine. Persons interested in running for a position write a letter to the election committee. Their name is then placed on a ballot and then mailed to members encouraging them to vote. The votes are sent back, counted by the committee and revealed at the national conference.
Elected unopposed, Rutledge said he is, “pleased, proud and humbled, but with that comes expectations.”
The presidential appointment has a term span of two years, but a person can succeed only once, equaling a possible total term of four years.
Rutledge’s appointment succeeds Donald Wade, who was elected twice previously serving from 2002 to 2006.
“Domoine has the organizational skills and communication skills (for the position),” said Reginald Joseph, president of the Greater St. Louis alumni chapter and former 1993 to 1997 national president. “He has the ability and I think he will do a great job.”
Building the Alumni Center on five acres of river frontage, launching a new website, planning the 2007 National Conference in Memphis and having an increased presence at football games are a few of the things on Rutledge’s current agenda.
“I think his greatest challenge is bringing people in from his peer group,” Joseph said. “He has the ability and is certainly up to the challenge. He is a forthright person and he believes in support.”
Beginning around 1920 to 1932, the Southern University Alumni Federation was formed by a group of graduates from the Normal Division, Junior College and the first graduation class of the four-year teacher-training program.
The Southern University Alumni Federation was chartered by the state of Louisiana in 1941 and has since grown to include chapters across the United States including more than 100,000 former students and graduates.
“The Alumni exists to support the University,” Rutledge said. “If nothing else, I want to put the Southern University Alumni Federation in a posture that can provide tangible and intangible support on all levels.”
For more information visit www.sualumni.org or call (225) 771-4200.