About Shirley

Shirley Folkins-Roberts is a Nevada attorney, business leader, and longtime community advocate who has spent her career working at the intersection of law, business, and public policy. In the private sector, she has helped lead the entitlement, financing, construction, and leasing of major industrial and office projects across Northern Nevada, supporting the development of more than three million square feet of commercial space and helping attract major employers that strengthen the state’s economy.

Throughout her career, Shirley has worked closely with local and state officials to navigate complex legal and regulatory processes, manage public policy challenges, and move job-creating projects forward. She has served as a board member, legislative advocate, and volunteer lobbyist for the commercial real estate industry, leading coalitions in both state and national advocacy efforts. She also co-founded a regional transportation coalition that brought together private developers and public agencies to address long-term infrastructure needs and ensure smart, coordinated growth.

Shirley earned her Juris Doctor from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. She has been a member of the California Bar since 1993 and the Nevada Bar since 2010, practicing law in both states.

Beyond her professional work, Shirley has spent more than two decades advocating for Nevada families facing childhood cancer. She helped found a regional foundation dedicated to supporting children and their families and led efforts to secure state funding, including testifying before the Nevada Legislature to help obtain appropriations for childhood cancer research and support. She has led Nevada families to Washington, D.C., to advocate for increased federal research funding and was appointed to a national advisory committee focused on advancing federal policy for children with cancer. Through this work, she has overseen budgets, programs, donor development, and direct family assistance, always focused on accountability and results.

Shirley is running for Nevada Secretary of State because she believes government should be practical, transparent, and accountable. She understands how state policies affect small businesses, job creators, and working families because she has worked directly with them for decades.

She believes Nevada should lead the nation in both election integrity and business innovation. Shirley supports keeping voter rolls accurate, implementing voter ID responsibly, and ensuring election results are delivered clearly and on time. She also wants to modernize the Secretary of State’s office, streamline business filings, and support the creation of business courts so companies can resolve disputes efficiently and focus on growing jobs instead of navigating red tape.

Her career reflects steady leadership, coalition building, and real-world results.