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Condensed Biography

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley: A Lifetime of Commitment to Nevada

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has called Las Vegas home for more than four decades and was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. Shelley represents the families of Nevada's First Congressional District, which includes Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and unincorporated areas in Clark County -- all part of the fastest growing region in the nation. Now in her fifth term, she serves as a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee. Among her top priorities are securing more resources for education and transportation in Southern Nevada; providing access to affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans; meeting the growing needs of the Las Vegas Valley’s many military veterans; and fighting the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.

Shelley completed junior high and high school in Las Vegas, and was the first member of her family to attend college when she enrolled in UNLV. She was elected as the University’s Student Body President and graduated with honors, earning a B.A. in Political Science in 1972. After earning her law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law in 1976, Shelley returned to Las Vegas to begin her career. She is a former member of the Nevada State Legislature and served as a Regent for the State’s University and Community College System.

Shelley Berkley is the proud mother of two sons: Sam, who is studying for an undergraduate degree at UNLV, and Max, a graduate of the University of Arizona who is now attending UNLV’s Boyd School of Law. In March of 1999, Shelley married Dr. Lawrence Lehrner a practicing Nephrologist in Las Vegas who has two children of his own: David, putting his graduate degree from Indiana University to use at MGM Mirage, and Stephanie, a family practice physician.