[1] McNally received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Worcester State College in 1978, and then went on to Indiana University to complete a Master of Business Administration in 1980.
[2] McNally's dissertation was titled: "Developing American Indian Water Rights in Montana: Law and Local Context.
"[3] In September 1987, while enrolled at the University of Chicago, McNally began her teaching career as a fixed-term instructor at Eastern Montana College in Billings.
Administrative roles included being named Chair of the Management and Economics Department (1996-1998) and Interim Dean of the College of Business (2005-2006).
Prior to McNally's tenure at Eastern Montana, she served as Dean at Sinte Gleska College in Mission, South Dakota.