Milinda McNeely ’79

Milinda McNeely

Head legal counsel, MGM Studios
B.A. 1979, Rice University
J.D. 1982, The University of Texas at Austin

ARA Board term ends: 2023

Executive Biography: Milinda McNeely earned a bachelor’s in political science from Rice in 1979 and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in 1982. She now serves as head legal counsel for MGM Studios. At Rice, McNeely serves on the School of Social Sciences Advisory Board and her class’s Reunion Giving Committee. She is a member of the Rice Associates giving society, the Rice Family Fellows and the Parents Leadership Council. McNeely has one son, Avery “AC” Christopher Plum ’22, who is a member of Lovett College and is studying in the School of Humanities. He is a pitcher on the Rice baseball team.
What part of serving on the ARA Board are you most excited about?: I’m most excited about the opportunity to serve Rice in a new way and hopefully get more alums excited about the opportunity to give back to the institution that gave us all so much!
What is your favorite “Only at Rice” memory or story?: The endless hours we spent practicing for the beer part of Beer-Bike (really!). That’s the one I’ll own up to publicly, anyway.
If you could give one piece of advice to Rice students, what would it be?: Don’t spend too much time looking forward to what comes next. Enjoy every single amazing thing Rice has to offer. Soak it all up and realize what an incredible time this is in your life.