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Kelvin Atkinson was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the second of three children.
Both natives of Chicago, Kelvin’s mother was a union worker in a mill for over twenty years and his father was a railroad worker who later went back to school to become a criminal attorney.
At the age of ten, Kelvin visited his fraternal grandparents who had moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and he found that he loved the city so much that he asked his parents’ permission to remain there with them. Two years later, they also relocated to Los Angeles.
Kelvin finished junior high school and high school in Culver City, California. After graduating high school, Kelvin attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he began doing community service. During his second semester of his junior year, Kelvin received a horrifying telephone call from his mother early one morning notifying him that a previous client had just murdered his father. Kelvin was devastated and left school that semester to return to Los Angeles to be with his family. He was very fond of his father who had been the first in his family to graduate from college and as Kelvin states "he was the best father any child could have".
Kelvin’s grandparents decided to move to Las Vegas in 1990 not wanting to live in Los Angeles any longer after their son was murdered. Kelvin followed and enrolled in UNLV where he later graduated with a Political Science Degree.
Kelvin always knew that he wanted to help people and in 1991 began working for local government. Throughout his employment he was tireless in his efforts and was promoted several times as a result of his commitment and loyalty.
In 1996, Kelvin received the greatest blessing of his life when his daughter Haley was born. Haley who attends Elementary School, in North Las Vegas, is the highlight of Kelvin’s life and is the number one reason he decided to run for the State Assembly 4 years ago. Kelvin’s goal was to improve educational opportunities for his daughter and all other children of Nevada and he decided that the only way to do so was to "get involved". Kelvin became a part of the process believing that the Assembly was the best place for him to affect change and stay involved.
Elected as our representative:
First elected to the Assembly in 2002, Kelvin has proven that he is a true leader. He received a grade of "B" from his peers after his first legislative session and is proud that during the session, which lasted 157 days, he never missed a vote. Kelvin was then chosen from a field of 125 candidates, as one of 40 new legislators to attend the Western Legislative Academy (WLA). The goal of the WLA is to help newer legislators become more effective and to build stronger state institutions. Kelvin was such a standout at the academy that at the conclusion of the five-day training, he was elected as the 2003 Class President.
Accomplishments:
Committees – Kelvin is a member of the:
Transportation Committee (Chairman)
Government Affairs Committee
Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining
Interim Committees - Kelvin is a member of the:
Transportation Study Committee
Special License Plates Commission
Nevada AIDS Advisory Task Force
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About Kelvin
