Marcie Davis, Esq. 
Assistant Dean of Career Services
Large Firms
(214) 768-3893
mydavis@smu.edu
Marcie Davis oversees all aspects of managing the Office of Career Services, developing and implementing policies and procedures, conducting employer outreach, authoring career education resources and programs, and counseling students. She serves as the principal contact to local and national law firms and legal employers.
Marcie joined SMU Dedman School of Law as Director of Career Services in October 2020 and took on the role of Assistant Dean in June 2021. Marcie brings with her 23 years of legal industry experience both as a practicing attorney and an Administrative Partner. Marcie spent her legal career at Thompson & Knight, LLP, one of the oldest and largest firms in Texas. Marcie was an associate and then partner at the firm before taking on an administrative position, becoming the Practice Manager for the firm’s Employment & Labor, Environmental, and Trial practice groups. Marcie served the last nine years as the firm’s Chief Development Officer in charge of attorney professional development and talent management across the firm’s nine offices.
Marcie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas State University and graduated cum laude from SMU Dedman School of Law in 1996. She is a certified Mental Health First responder and a CTI-trained life coach. Marcie is a member of the ABA, Dallas Bar Association, Professional Development Consortium, and NALP.
Beth D. Lee 
Director, Corporate and Private Sector Development
Beth Lee is responsible for employer engagement and job development in the private sector with a focus on corporate legal internships and post-graduate opportunities, including emerging legal careers. She works with Dean Steve Yeager on student placements and employer relations, with an emphasis on sports-related opportunities, for the Corporate Counsel Externship Program now in its 11th year. Beth handles career-related programming for students, collaborates with the law school’s Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership, and co-leads employer development for small, mid-size, and boutique law firms. Beth manages the specialty recruiting programs including Corporate Interview Week, the October Interview Program, and the Small Firm Interview Program. Beth provides career development training and strategy to full-time JD, transfer, and visiting students. Before her current role as Director, she was the office’s primary contact with federal, state, and local government agencies and managed recruitment efforts for students and alumni interested in public sector opportunities.
Beth manages the Hot Jobs & Opportunities
announcements to students and works with employers to generate job
opportunities for students and alumni. She is the office's liaison to the
Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and facilitates the annual Mock Interview
Program. Beth is actively involved in the National Association for
Law Placement (NALP) and was selected to serve as the Southeast Region Law
School Representative on the 2021-2023 Regional Leadership Council, the 2021
Professional Development Institute Planning Team, and the 2019-2020 Nominating
Committee. She previously served as the Member Relations Vice-chair
of the JD Career Advisors Section.
Beth joined the Office of Career Services in August 2002. Before joining
SMU, she worked for the international law firm of Baker Botts as Manager of
Client Relations, as a management consultant for KPMG, and in sales and
marketing for Fortune 500 companies IBM, Electronic Data Systems, and Lotus
Development Corporation. She is a graduate of the SMU Cox School of
Business.
Smitha Mathews, Esq.
Director, Mid-Size, Small and Boutique Firms
(214) 768-3546
mathews@smu.edu
Smitha Mathews is responsible for developing clerkships and job opportunities with mid-size, boutique and small law firms, as well as providing career development training and counseling to full-time JD students.
Smitha joined SMU Dedman School of Law as Director of the Office of Career Services in July 2021. Having practiced at both multinational and boutique law firms, Smitha brings extensive legal industry experience to this position. Smitha graduated with honors from SMU in 2000, earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a Biomedical Specialization. She received her Juris Doctor degree from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2004. Smitha began her legal career as an intellectual property associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where she focused on patent and IP litigation. She later transitioned her practice to assist clients with patent and trademark procurement and strategic portfolio development, working at the law firms of Harper Bates & Champion LLP and Baker Botts LLP. Smitha has also volunteered countless pro bono hours to represent and serve those in need. Smitha is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the Dallas Bar Association and the DFW Women in IP Group.
Mary Beth Nielsen
Director, Judicial Internships, Externships & Post-Graduate Clerkships
mnielsen@smu.edu
Mary Beth Nielsen serves as a career advisor to JD students and facilitates the August Interview Program and Houston Interview Program. She also advises students on judicial internships, externships, and post-graduate judicial clerkships and develops relationships with the judiciary. Mary Beth manages school and student participation in regional job fairs and currently serves on the Board of the Sunbelt Diversity Recruitment Program. She is actively involved in the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and currently serves as a member of the Nominating Committee and is in her second year as co-chair of the Neurodiversity in the Legal Profession Task Force. She served as the Chair of the JD Career Advisors Section from 2020-2021. Prior to her current role, Mary Beth managed all aspects of the law school's recruiting programs, including the August Interview Program and Houston Interview Program.
Mary Beth joined the Office of Career Services in January 2014, after having served as the Career Advisor Liaison to the College of Communication in Career Services at Texas Christian University. From 2009-2011, she worked as the graduate assistant for internships in the Ole Miss Career Center. She earned her Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from The University of Mississippi in 2011 and graduated magna cum laude from The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 2009.
Mackenzie M. Salenger, Esq.
Career Advisor, LL.M. & S.J.D
Mackenzie Salenger serves as the advisor for students in the
International LL.M., Tax LL.M., General LL.M., and S.J.D. programs. In this
role, Mackenzie provides career development training and strategy, develops
career-related educational resources and programs, and counsels students.
Mackenzie joined SMU Dedman School of Law as Career Advisor in the Office of Career Services in August 2021. Having practiced at two national law firms and actively participated in her firms’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Mackenzie brings extensive legal industry experience to this position. Mackenzie began her legal career as a Trial Associate with Thompson & Knight LLP and was most recently a Trial Associate with Thompson Coburn LLP, where she handled a broad range of commercial litigation matters, including matters related to fraud and fraudulent transfer litigation, tort and products liability litigation, complex commercial litigation, and social impact litigation.
Mackenzie earned her Bachelor of
Arts, summa cum laude, in Psychology from Southern Methodist University
and graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University School of Law,
where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif and inducted into the Pro Bono
Honor Society. Mackenzie is active in the community, where she is a Board
Member of Black Tie Dinner, a member of the Young Professionals Advisory
Councils for the LGBT Resource Center of Dallas and the Dallas Area Rape Crisis
Center, and a member of the Mayor’s Star Council.
Robert B. (Bob) Weathersby, Esq.
Director, Large Firms
Robert B. (Bob) Weathersby is a Director in the Office of Career Services whose focus is on large law firm recruiting. He also advises students and assists other professionals in the office with developing legal employment opportunities in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He brings more than 36 years of experience for the benefit of our students.
Bob attended Louisiana State University on an athletic (football) scholarship. He graduated in 1982 with a B.S. degree in International Trade & Finance. Bob then graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at L.S.U. in 1986 and joined Jackson Walker LLP in Dallas where he practiced civil litigation as an associate and partner. He joined Andrews Kurth LLP’s (now, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP) Dallas office in 1995 where he continued to practice civil litigation as a partner for 17 years. During his career in private practice, Bob handled cases in state and federal courts throughout Texas as well as in other jurisdictions. Bob also served as Andrews Kurth’s Hiring Partner for its Dallas office for 4 years. He also has served as General Counsel for a privately held marketing company and as a Director of Business Development for an alternative legal services provider. Since 2017, Bob has served as the Director in the Office of Career Services at Texas A&M University School of Law.
Bob is committed to leveraging his experience coupled with
his legal and business relationships for the benefit of SMU Dedman School of
Law and its students. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the
Louisiana State Bar Association (inactive), the Dallas Bar Association, and
NALP.
Moira Cary
Associate Director, Recruiting & Events
Moira Cary facilitates all law school recruiting programs, including the August and Houston Interview Programs, Corporate Interview Week, and the Small Firm Interview Program. She manages school and student participation in regional job fairs and other specialty recruiting programs. She plans large firm recruiting and networking events, including “Meet the Firms,” study breaks, and other events for the Office of Career Services. Moira is a member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and sits on the SMU Task Force on Social Justice and Equity. She also serves as co-chair of the Student Outreach Committee for the Task Force.
Moira began her work at SMU Dedman School of Law in 2017 as the Student Affairs and Registrar Coordinator. In 2020, she also became the Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator. Prior to joining the law school, she worked at Dallas CASA and remains actively involved with the organization. In 2019, Moira earned her Master of Liberal Studies with a Human Rights and Social Justice concentration from SMU. She graduated summa cum laude from Gonzaga University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.