Charlene, née Friedkin, Herst was born in 1946. When she was eight years old, she moved to Las Vegas in 1954 with her parents Patricia and Richard Friedkin.

Charlene raised four children (Hayley, Rochelle, Tracey and Harry) as a single mother, graduated from UNLV in 1995 with a communications degree, and managed to build a career that touched the well-being of the Nevada population in many ways.