Veta J. Byrd-Perez

Executive Director, When and Where I Enter, Inc.
Rice University - Associate General Counsel

Veta Byrd-Perez is the executive director and founder of When and Where I Enter, Inc. She has performed extensive research on issues affecting women in developing countries including Mexico and Ghana. She conceived of the foundation while living in Quito, Ecuador where she served as a volunteer in the investment and strategy group of, Banco Solidario, S.A., a local microfinance institution.

A native of Columbus, OH, Ms. Byrd-Perez received a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College and a J.D. from The Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Journal of International Law and a John M. Olin fellow. Prior to law school, Ms. Byrd-Perez worked at the investment bank Goldman, Sachs & Co. She spent the first part of her legal career as a corporate attorney at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins, LLP, working on international transactions in countries such as Peru and the Dominican Republic. Currently, she is an associate general counsel at Rice University in Houston, TX.

Veta is also active in the Houston community. Among other activities, she is an executive committee member of the African American Art Advisory Association of the Museum of Fine Arts, a member of the Houston World Affairs Council, and was appointed to the Digital Empower Council, an advocacy group that seeks to facilitate equal access to technology for underserved communities.