As chief executive officer and senior provost for Touro’s Western Division, Shelley Berkley serves as the administrative and academic head of the Nevada and northern California campuses of Touro University.  In this role, Ms. Berkley oversees two of the fastest-growing medical schools in the western United States, as well as allied health science and education programs with a current total enrollment of more than 3,000 students.   

 

In her current role, she is helping to educate the future health care providers for the State of Nevada.  She has expanded the Autism Center at Touro because the need in our community is so great.  She has acquired two mobile clinics to provide medical services for homeless veterans and the women along with their children at Shade Tree.  She recently formed a partnership with Opportunity Village to provide health care to their clients.  There is not an area in Southern Nevada that Shelley Berkley has not influenced in a positive and meaningful way.

 

Prior to joining Touro in 2014, Shelley served the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives from 1998 to 2013.  She was the first woman to serve the District and held the position for seven terms.

 

Among Shelley’s proudest accomplishments during her time in Congress was building the new Veterans Administration medical complex in Southern Nevada.  This facility provides quality healthcare to the veterans in our community.  She was a vocal supporter of providing more funding for graduate medical education (residencies), and a vocal advocate of reforming our nation’s healthcare system.

 

As an advocate for occupational training, Shelley worked closely with CCSD and the community college system to create occupational training programs throughout our community college system.  She also supported the proposal that allowed qualified students to receive college credits while still in high school to give them a jump start in obtaining a college degree.  She worked every day to keep tuition costs low so all Nevada students could afford to go to college if they wished to. 

 

In the 14 years that Shelley served this State as a United States Congresswoman there was no greater spokeswoman for K thru 12 education than Shelley.  She fought for federal funding for dropout prevention programs and literacy programs.  She brought much needed funding for after school programs, summer school programs and mentoring programs for our students in the district.  She co-sponsored legislation for zero interest construction bonds to build desperately needed schools and supported providing federal income tax credits for teachers who used their own money to purchase school supplies for their students.  She supported funding for technology training for our teachers.  She also supported reducing class size for grades 1-3.  For her efforts on behalf of public education, she earned a 100% rating from the Nevada Education Association.

 

Prior to serving in Congress, Shelley was a practicing attorney.  She was an attorney for the Nevada State Commerce Department, in-house counsel for Southwest Gas Corporation, and Vice President for Government and Legal Affairs for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

 

In spring 2016, Shelley received the Distinguished Nevadan Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents.  The award is given to individuals who have made significant achievements that have contributed to the cultural, scientific, or social advancement of Nevada.

 

Shelley is married to Dr. Larry Lehrner, a kidney specialist and Touro adjunct faculty member. She is the proud mother of two sons – Max, an attorney and Sam, a sommelier at Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, and two step-children – David, a specialist in information technology and Stephanie Lehrner, DO, an osteopathic physician and instructor at Touro University Nevada.