She earned her Ph.D. in library science from Texas Woman’s University and was a school librarian for 16 years. Additionally, Dr. White has served on the 1996 Caldecott Award Committee, 1992 and 1998 Batchelder Award committees, the 1998-2000 Pura Belpré Committee, and 2001-2005 Notable Children’s Books Committee. Children’s books translated from other languages into English is her specific area of research. Dr. White won the 2003 President’s Distinguished Teaching Award at UHCL. She co-authored with Kathy Latrobe and Carolyn Brodie "The Children’s Literature Dictionary: Definitions, Resources, and Learning Activities."