Benavidez, Kelly D.

For Kelly Benavidez (b. 1976), life began in the northern California community of Daly City in a Spanish-speaking household. Her parents, Amelia and Genaro Benavidez, were among the few Latinos in their area at the time. Her parents felt strongly about immersing Kelly and her older brother in their Mexican culture. They made the important decision to return to Jalisco, Mexico with their young children.

A few years later they moved back to the United States—North Las Vegas specifically. By now Kelly was in the third grade and had lost much of her English skills. She was assigned to ESL class. For her father, construction work was plentiful and there was the bonus of lots of family already living in Las Vegas.

Kelly attended Area Technical Trade School for hotel management, and was then recruited by Mesa State College in Colorado. She once had visions of becoming a police officer, only to marry one instead, Robert Williams.

Kelly’s career in community service took hold when she volunteered for Dario Herrera’s campaign. In 2019, Kelly is a liaison to Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, with whom she has worked for nearly two decades. Her list of community involvement is extensive: Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Board, the Fernando Vargas Foundation, Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, Hispanics in Politics, Latina Network, among others. She personally identifies as a Chicana.