LAS VEGAS — Nevada Donor Network (NDN) announced today the appointment of Shelley Berkley to the Nevada Donor Network Foundation (NDNF) board as a founding board member. Berkley’s multiple decades of experience in government and leadership will be an asset as she supports the foundation’s mission to maximize the gift of life and health through organ and tissue donation.
Berkley is the chief executive officer and senior provost for Touro’s Western Division, where she serves as the administrative and academic head of the Nevada and northern California campuses of Touro University. Berkley oversees two of the fastest-growing medical schools in the western United States, as well as allied health science and education programs.
Prior to joining Touro in 2014, Berkley served the state of Nevada in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 to 2013. She was the first woman to serve her district and held the position for seven terms.
Among Berkley’s proudest accomplishments during her time in Congress was building the new Veterans Administration medical complex in southern Nevada to provide quality healthcare to the veterans in our community. She was a vocal supporter of providing more funding for graduate medical education (residencies), and an advocate for reforming our nation’s healthcare system.
In addition to serving as a founding board member for NDNF, Berkley is currently serving on numerous local and national boards, including: The Anti-Defamation League, National Osteoporosis Foundation, Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, and The American Lung Association.
Berkley was appointed and twice elected to the Nevada State Board of Regents, which governs and sets policy for the Nevada State System of Higher Education, serving from 1990 to 1998. She served as vice chairman and fought to keep tuition costs low and to create a law school at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Prior to this, Berkley 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, Berkley 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. Earlier this year, she was also honored by Clark County School District (CCSD) with the naming of a new elementary school in her namesake, Shelley Berkley Elementary School.
About Nevada Donor Network
Nevada Donor Network is a federally designated 501©(3) not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) committed to maximizing the gift of life and health through organ and tissue donation. Established in 1987, Nevada Donor Network is one of only 57 OPOs in the U.S. serving more than three million people in the state of Nevada and 110,000 potential transplant recipients across the country. They work collaboratively with hospital staff and community partners to promote research and provide a strong support network to courageous donor families who’ve turned loss into hope. At Nevada Donor Network, they encourage Nevadans to help individuals in need of life-saving transplants through education, research and action. Nevada Donor Network is a member of Donate Life Nevada, an affiliate of Donate Life America, whose state-wide efforts encourage Nevadans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. For more information, please visit www.nvdonor.org/
###
