Valerie Wiener is a former Democratic Nevada State Senator who represented Clark County District 3 from 1996 to 2012. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1948, she is the daughter of prominent local attorney Louis Wiener, Jr. After Valerie Wiener graduated from Las Vegas High School, she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master's in contemporary literature from the University of Illinois before attending the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. Wiener worked in journalism and communications and founded Wiener Communications Group in 1988. She also wrote several books about professional development and social issues. After retiring from the Senate, Wiener started two nonprofit organizations, the Valerie Wiener Foundation and the Public Service Institute of Nevada. She is president of both, and she also chairs the Nevada Youth Legislature and serves on the Nevada Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease