LINCOLN – University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen is among the 30 Nebraska lawyers chosen for the 2020 Class of Fellows by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation.
Thirty Fellows are selected each year based on their dedication to improving the administration of justice, leadership in the legal profession, civic service and integrity, and support of the foundation.
Kristensen, who lives in Minden, was appointed to lead UNK in 2002 following a distinguished career in the Nebraska Legislature. He represented the 37th District and served as speaker of the Legislature. At the time he held political office, he practiced law and was a partner in the law firm of Lieske & Kristensen in Minden.
Among the civic and professional awards he has received are: Nebraska State Bar Association Award of Merit; UNK Friend of the University Award; League of Nebraska Municipalities Distinguished Service Award; President’s Award, Nebraska Association of County Officials; Outstanding Young Men of America; University of Nebraska Innocents Society; Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society; and Acacia National Fraternity Order of Pythagoras.
His current memberships include the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association President’s Council and Strategic Planning Committee; NCAA Division II Academic Requirements Committee; Economic Development Council of Buffalo County Board of Directors; Museum of Nebraska Art Board of Directors; and Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
His former service includes: National Conference of State Legislatures, vice president; Council of State Governments Executive Board; State Legislative Leaders Foundation; Nebraska Constitutional Review Commission; Federal Communications Commission Local and State Government Advisory Committee Nebraska Information Technology Committee; Platte Valley State Bank and Trust Co. Board of Directors; Rowe Sanctuary Board of Directors; and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Presidents Council.
Kristensen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his Juris Doctor degree from Drake University. His wife, the Hon. Terri S. Harder, is a Lifetime Fellow of the Bar Foundation.
The Nebraska State Bar Foundation was incorporated in 1963 as a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization to serve as the philanthropic arm of Nebraska’s legal profession. The foundation is dedicated to serving the citizens of Nebraska and the legal profession through innovative and creative programs directed toward the improvement of the administration of justice and the fulfillment of the American vision of equal justice for all.
