Sallye Werner grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and earned a BS from Northern Michigan University in 1968 and a BA from Michigan State in 1973. She taught middle school and high school from 1973 to 1998, mainly in the Anchorage School District, and served as president of the Anchorage Education Association from 1983 to 1984. In 1998 she became a CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocates act in the interests of children in need.) and is still active in that role. Joining the board of Friends of Alaska CASA in 2000, she has been its president for twelve years and continues to this day.