Sandra Douglass Morgan, who has played a key role shepherding the gaming industry through the pandemic, has resigned as chairwoman and executive director of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced her departure in a news release Thursday afternoon, noting that she is “resigning to pursue an exciting professional opportunity.”

On Friday morning, Fidelity National Financial, the nation’s largest title insurance company, announced that Douglass Morgan had been elected to its board of directors. Bill Foley, who owns the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, chairs the company board.

She starts her new role Nov. 9. 

Her resignation from the gaming regulatory body is effective Nov. 6. No successor has been named yet.

Douglass Morgan, who was the first African American to serve as chair of the Gaming Control Board, called her time as its leader an “honor of a lifetime.” She has served as the board’s chair since January 2019, when Sisolak appointed her after entering office.

“In the last two years, the Board has ensured that gaming licensees adopted and implemented policies for all types of discrimination and harassment, modernized its regulations to allow cashless wagering at machines and table games, investigated the merger creating the world’s largest casino company, and adopted COVID-19 mitigation measures,” she said in a statement. 

The governor praised Douglass Morgan as someone who has a “steady hand and unmatched leadership,” especially during the turbulent last few months in the gaming industry.

“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,” Sisolak wrote. “We again thank Sandra for her many accomplishments and time at the State.” 

It’s not immediately clear where Douglass Morgan is headed next in her professional career. When Douglass Morgan took on the board leadership role, she replaced former chairwoman and Republican former state Sen. Becky Harris.

This story was updated at 6:56 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, to reflect Douglass Morgan's next career move.