Riana Durrett earned her B.A. in political science from UNLV and attended law school at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law, earning her J.D. in 2008. While attending UNLV, Durrett participated in several internship and externship programs, including a judicial internship for the Suquamish Tribe, where she is an enrolled tribal member.  She recently completed her LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation from the William S. Boyd School of Law, where she also teaches cannabis law and regulation.

Durrett was appointed as director of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute in August 2023. In addition, the Governor appointed her to serve as the first vice chair of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board. Prior to her work with the Cannabis Compliance Board, Durrett served as the executive director of the Nevada Dispensary Association, where she established the association as the primary resource on best practices in Nevada's cannabis industry -- developing the Nevada Dispensary Association into the primary regulatory and government affairs voice for Nevada's cannabis industry. In addition to her work at UNLV, Durrett currently serves on the Boards of the Nevada Taxpayer Association and the Nevada Conservation League.