Barbara
Buckley was born in Philadelphia in 1960, the youngest of four children. She has
two older sisters, Jane and Anne. Her older brother, a former casino worker at
the MGM, passed away in March 2004.
Barbara's parents met while working in shipyards during World War II. Barbara's
father was a payroll clerk for Sperry Rand Univac. Her mother worked as a secretary
until age 74 when she retired to care for her husband, who has since passed away.
Barbara, her husband, Chan, and their two sons, Ford and Aiden, make Las Vegas
their home and enjoy the chance to get out for family hikes on their mountain
and desert trails.
School
Barbara attended Catholic school for 12 years. She was a cheerleader for a number
of years and for two years she volunteered coaching 6-year-old cheerleaders for
the city team. Barbara went right to work after high school. She found a job at
the University of Pennsylvania's Finance Department as a secretary / receptionist.
After a year, she moved up to the Development Department where she took on supervisory
responsibilities.
Moving
to Las Vegas
At 19, Barbara visited Las Vegas to see her best friend, another Philadelphian,
who had moved here. On her very first visit, Barbara fell in love with Las Vegas.
Her two-week vacation turned into a three month extended stay. She joined the
Culinary Union and briefly took a job at the old MGM (now Bally's) as a hotel
maid. She returned to Philadelphia to save money for her eventual move to Las
Vegas. After working as a legal secretary, she returned to Las Vegas in March
of 1981.
While working as a legal secretary with Beckley, Singleton, Barbara began taking
night courses at UNLV. In 1983 she was employed by Crockett & Myers as a Legal
Assistant, taking on more responsibility.
Starting college
Barbara's experience as a legal secretary convinced her she wanted to become an
attorney. She couldn't afford to quit work, so she worked all day and attended
night school at UNLV. In doing so, Barbara became the first member of her family
to attend college. During summers, she took classes from 8 am to 9:30 am, went
to work and made up the time at lunch or after work. Most weekends, she studied.
She graduated from UNLV in May 1986 with a 3.6 grade point average. During her
undergraduate days, she was a founding member of the Prelaw Society, Phi Lambda
Alpha.
On
to law school
Barbara was accepted by the University of Arizona Law School and received an out-of-state
tuition waiver as a scholarship, based on her academic record and need. She started
at the U of A Law School in 1986 and graduated summa cum laude in 1989.
While in law school, Barbara became interested in public service and in helping
those who could not afford legal representation. She founded the Public Interest
Law Organization in only her second year of school. She traveled to Washington,
DC at her own expense to learn how such organizations can succeed and make a real
difference in people's lives.
Barbara and a few other students formed a group to raise money to hire law
students who would work at low wages for a "public interest" organization like
a senior citizen's project, a homeless project, or a battered and abused children's
project during their summers.
The other students were asked to voluntarily pledge a bit of their salaries
at large law firms to help pay the public advocates. The class competed, with
thermometers on the wall showing the participation of each. They encouraged the
Law Women to challenge the Law Men, put on spaghetti dinners, and raised the necessary
funds. The first year, they raised enough for one student; the second, two students.
The organization continues to function today, thanks to the start Barbara provided.
Barbara's
grades and writing ability won her an appointment to the Arizona Law Review. In
her second year, she studied at the University of London Law School and had the
opportunity to compare our legal system to another, tour the Inns of Court, listen
to British legal scholars, and broaden her perspective of the profession.
Barbara was named Outstanding Female Law Graduate for 1989 and received the
Danny Lee Chandler Award at graduation for promoting the First Amendment in law
school.
The opportunity to help others
Although her grades and achievements could have placed her in a major law firm
with a large salary, Barbara learned that the Nevada Legal Services was rebuilding
after almost closing down in the 1980s due to budget cuts and lawyers leaving
for more lucrative careers. The opportunity to engage in public service meant
more to her, and Barbara moved back to Las Vegas.
Barbara
Buckley became a major proponent behind changing redevelopment law to ensure more
responsible use of government funds. To make the necessary changes, she organized
people and organizations, from nonprofits to banks, from the United Way to the
Culinary Union. She arranged for testimony to be heard before the City Council
and then went to Carson City to testify, winning changes to provide affordable
housing for the working people of this community.
Barbara encouraged the building of more affordable housing by organizing the
Affordable Housing Institute, a training program to teach nonprofits how to build
affordable housing. The program joined nonprofits with representatives from the
banking industry, government, and the private sector in a unique training program
which offered seed money for their first projects.
Helping
on the job and in the community
Barbara Buckley also went on to found the Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition.
She served as Chair of the Advocacy Committee, as Vice President and President.
Barbara has been a Board Member of the Women's Development Center, a nonprofit
to help homeless women and children find employment and housing. She served as
a board member on the Southern Nevada Housing Corporation, a nonprofit providing
affordable housing for senior citizens and families.
Elected as our representative
First elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1994, Barbara proved to have real leadership qualities. In her second term she was named Assistant Majority Floor Leader by Speaker Joe Dini. She held that position until Speaker Richard Perkins asked her to serve as Majority Leader in 2001, a position she also held in 2003 and 2005. She was the first female to hold the position of Assembly Majority Leader.
Following the 2006 election, Barbara Buckley was chosen as Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly—the first woman in Nevada history to hold that position.
In each of the last four legislative sessions--1999, 2001, 2003, and again in 2005-- Review-Journal polls named Barbara "Best Assembly" member.
