Mary Ashley McCollough

Mary Ashley McCollough joined the Office of Legal Affairs in 2023 and serves as University Legal Counsel. Her principal practice areas include research security and compliance, animal research programs, international affiliations, UW Extension, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. She previously served as Legal Counsel and Open Records Officer for the University System of Georgia, advising constituent institutions on matters related to youth programming, Title IX, state and Federal accessibility laws, and free speech. Prior to that, Mary Ashley spent six years as an Attorney for the University of Florida’s Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, representing and advising the institutional community on open governance laws, student affairs related matters, and research misconduct investigations. Mary Ashley holds a B.A. in Literature from the University of North Carolina Asheville and a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she served in the Environmental and Land Use Law Conservation Clinic. She is a member of the State Bar of Florida.