Phelps' recent activities include teaching in the Oregon Executive MBA program, participating in a faculty development program in Southeast Asia, serving as faculty advisor to Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and serving on the Lane Community College Business Advisory Board.
In addition to teaching at the Lundquist College of Business, Phelps has been engaged in the private practice of law since 1975. His areas of research and interest include the law as it relates to international business, entrepreneurial organizations, and sports marketing. Phelps is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association and has served as a municipal judge, city attorney, and legal counsel to numerous business organizations.
Phelps' business experience includes being a consultant to entrepreneurial companies since 1980. He was creator and director of the Rural Small Business Resource Center at Lane Community College from 1981 to 1983, and he has been a small business owner since 1989 with products and services focused on sports, medical , and property development. Additional experience includes serving as the executive director of Business Seminars of Oregon, an Oregon nonprofit serving the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business, its alumni, and friends through continuing executive education programs.