- Source of Wealth: Politics
- Age: 68
- Birth Place: New York City, New York, U.S.
- Marital Status: Married (Dr. Lawrence Lehrner)
- Full Name: Rochelle “Shelley” Levine Berkley
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: January 20, 1951
- Ethnicity: Russian and Sephardic Jewish from Ottoman-era Thessaloniki
- Occupation: Politician
- Education: University of Nevada, Las Vegas and University of San Diego School of Law
- Children: 2 (Sam and Max)
Shelley Berkley was an American Representative for the 1st congressional district of Nevada from 1999 to 2013. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Berkley was born as Rochelle Levine in the city of New York. When she was a junior high school student, her family moved to Nevada where she attended Fremont Junior High. Soon after, she became the first member of her family to be able to attend college after her enrollment as an undergraduate at Las Vegas’ University of Nevada. Here, she became a member of the sorority Delta Zeta. She then got elected as the Consolidated Students of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ student body president. She was able to graduate with honors and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
After the completion of her law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, she returned to Las Vegas where she started her professional career. Berkley was able to practice law as a member of the legal counsel of some casinos in Las Vegas. Aside from that, she also served as the American Hotel-Motel Association’s national director.
From 1982 to 1984, Berkley served in the Nevada Assembly and got involved in local civic affairs. She was also able to serve the Community College and University System Board of Regents in Nevada from 1990 to 1998 where she got appointed as the vice-chair.
As a member of the New Democrat Coalition, she viewed her top priorities as alternative energy, veteran’s rights, and affordable health care coverage for every American. She also opposed the creation of a nuclear waste repository in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain.
In April 2011, Berkley announced that she would run for the Senate of the United States to succeed John Ensign as he resigned due to an ethics scandal. She was able to secure a Democratic nomination and eventually faced the incumbent Senator Dean Heller in the elections. However, she narrowly lost in the election.