The North Dakota High School Activities Association announced on April 24 that Rachel Bruner Duben will join its staff as General Counsel starting with the 2026-27 school year. Her contract is set to begin on July 1, 2026.
The hiring of Bruner Duben brings the NDHSAA’s executive office to a total of ten full-time staff members. The association oversees extracurricular sports and fine arts activities for its 170 member schools across North Dakota.
Bruner Duben is a lifelong resident of North Dakota, originally from the Drake-Anamoose area. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from North Dakota State University and earned her juris doctor with distinction from the University of North Dakota. Since 2011, she has practiced law at Pearce Durick PLLC, focusing much of her work on representing school districts and related entities in the state.
She has served as legal counsel for NDHSAA since 2014. In her new role, she will provide legal expertise directly to member schools as part of her expanded responsibilities. Bruner Duben will leave Pearce Durick at the end of June before joining NDHSAA full time.
The decision to transition Bruner Duben from an external legal advisor to an employee was approved by the NDHSAA Board of Directors during a special meeting held on April 23.
