Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan is joining the board of directors of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., and will chair a special litigation committee for the Florida-based company.
Morgan, 42, announced her resignation from the regulatory agency Thursday afternoon and Fidelity announced her appointment in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday morning.
The chairman of Fidelity is Bill Foley, the majority owner of the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights. The Fidelity board expanded its membership by one person to add Morgan. Fidelity is considered the nation’s largest U.S. title insurer, according to Bloomberg News.
“We are excited and pleased to welcome Sandra to our board of directors as an independent director,” Foley said in a statement. “Sandra comes at an exciting time for FNF as we remain committed to maximizing and delivering value to all FNF stakeholders. I know her deep experience and diverse skillset will certainly benefit our management team and board.”
Morgan, who is an attorney, will serve as chairwoman of a litigation committee, which was formed to investigate and evaluate the claims and allegations raised in a lawsuit filed in August by Miami General Employees and Sanitation Employees Retirement Trust against Foley. The trust sued Fidelity in Delaware over the insurer’s $2.7 billion acquisition of a life insurance company, FGL Holdings, in which Foley was the controlling stockholder.
Fidelity’s chief legal officer told Bloomberg in August the lawsuit “is wholly without merit.”
Morgan’s term with the Fidelity board expires at the annual shareholders meeting in 2021.
Morgan was the second woman and first African American to oversee the Gaming Control Board when she was appointed to the post by Gov. Steve Sisolak in January 2019. She will leave the position next Friday following the Control Board’s regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.
Sisolak will name a replacement to fill out the last two years of her term. The three-member Control Board makes recommendations on licensing and other gaming policy matters to the part-time Nevada Gaming Commission.
Sisolak named Morgan chairwoman when she was a member of the Gaming Commission, having been appointed a year earlier by Gov. Brian Sandoval. She was the director of external affairs for AT&T Services, Inc. when Sisolak elevated her to the Control Board.
“It has been a privilege to lead the Nevada Gaming Control Board with such a rich and proficient history in gaming regulation,” Morgan said in a statement provided by the governor’s office. “Working with an outstanding and dedicated staff throughout the state has been the honor of a lifetime.”
Sisolak said he was “grateful” to Morgan for her hard work and dedication to the state.
“Her steady hand and unmatched leadership has been critical in guiding Nevada’s gaming industry through one of the most turbulent periods in its history,” Sisolak said. “She will be greatly missed, but her leadership and ability to put together a talented team has left the State in a great position to fill the role with another accomplished individual.”
Morgan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and was awarded a Juris Doctor from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Morgan previously served as the City Attorney for the City of North Las Vegas and was the first African American city attorney in Nevada. She also a litigation attorney for MGM Mirage, now MGM Resorts International.
In addition to Morgan, Sisolak appointed Philip Katsaros to the board in 2019. Control Board member Terry Johnson has been on the panel since 2012. His current term expires in 2021.
Sisolak has appointed three of the five members of the Gaming Commission and recently elevated John Moran Jr. to the chairmanship.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
