Mary Phelps Dugan is Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the University of Nevada, Reno. Mary served as law clerk to the Honorable William N. Forman in the Second Judicial District Court, State of Nevada before joining the litigation firm of Laxalt & Nomura in 1986, where she became a partner. In 1995 Mary left private practice, becoming a public lawyer with the Nevada Attorney General's office litigation division. In 1997, Mary joined the General Counsel's office at what is now known as the Nevada System of Higher Education, as Assistant General Counsel. Mary litigated on behalf of the System and its institutions and provided legal advice on the many legal issues institutions of higher education face. In 2004, Mary was appointed the inaugural General Counsel for the University of Nevada, Reno and continues to serve in that position. She became Vice President, Legal Affairs in 2023.
Mary has been a NACUA member since 1997. She has served on the Committee on Legal Education and on the Committee on Program for Annual Conference for many years. She currently serves on the Committee on Board Operations and the Committee on Legal Education. She has spoken and moderated sessions at many NACUA CLE workshops and Annual Conferences.
Mary received her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1984.Mary also holds a B.A. in French and a B.F.A. in Modern Dance, both summa cum laude, from Texas Christian University (1978) and a M. A. in French Literature from the University of Kansas (1981).