Shelley Berkley, Senior Vice President of Touro University

Sr. Vice President Shelley Berkley Announces Retirement

Berkley to retire after nearly a decade of leadership with Touro that includes an impressive roster of career accomplishments, significant impact on Southern Nevada’s higher education and healthcare landscape.

Touro University Nevada, home to Nevada’s largest medical school, announces the retirement of Shelley Berkley, Senior Vice President of the Touro University system. Remaining in her role through June 30, Berkley will finish her tenure at Touro after nearly a decade of leading Touro University Nevada through remarkable growth, innovation, and impact.

A resident of Las Vegas for nearly 60 years, Berkley has served as Senior Vice President of the Touro University system since July 2022, after being promoted from CEO and Senior Provost of Touro’s Western Division, a position she held for more than eight years. During Berkley’s tenure as CEO and Senior Provost, Touro University Nevada expanded its medical school and physician assistant studies class sizes. Both programs are the largest of their kind in the state of Nevada. She was also one of four individuals honored for their lasting contributions to the Touro University system during Touro’s 50^th anniversary gala in New York City in December.

Berkley’s most notable accomplishments at Touro University Nevada include:

Expanding annual enrollment of its medical school from 135 to 181 students. In 10 years, Touro will graduate roughly half of the estimated physicians needed in the state.
Guiding the University through the unprecedented times of COVID-19, which included the transition to virtual learning and ensuring Touro served on the frontlines, beginning with testing and treating the Valley’s homeless population at Cashman Center in the earliest days of the pandemic.
Securing a $3 million endowment from the State of Qatar in 2020 to support the Sharon Sigesmund Pierce and Stephen Pierce Center for Autism & Developmental Disabilities, allowing Touro to hire more therapists and increase the number of families served.
Helping to raise millions of dollars to enhance the medical education at Touro by securing partnerships with several donors and organizations across Nevada.
Establishing the Touro Gala, which has raised millions of dollars for students while attracting notable guest speakers, including U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the late Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis, NBC News reporter Kerry Sanders, and former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.

“It has been one of the honors of my life to have been a part of the Touro University family for the past nine years,” Berkley said. “I have witnessed Touro’s impressive evolution as our state’s largest medical school, attracting talented students from around the country who are eager to make an impact on our community through healthcare and education. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to help guide Touro and look forward to seeing what’s next for this remarkable institution.”

Prior to joining Touro, Berkley served the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013. She was the first woman elected to Congress from the 1^st Congressional District that includes most of the city of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Strip and the city of North Las Vegas. She served seven consecutive terms. Prior to serving in Congress, Berkley was a member of the Nevada State Legislature and an elected member of the University Board of Regents. In her professional career, Berkley, a practicing attorney, served as Deputy Director of the State Commerce Department, in-house counsel for Southwest Gas Corporation and Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs at the Sands Hotel and Casino.