20 Facts About Ann Ravel

Ann Miller Ravel was born on April 6,1949 and is an American attorney who was a Democratic Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, an independent regulatory agency created by Congress to administer and enforce campaign finance law.

Ann Ravel was Chair of the commission for 2015, and Vice Chair in 2014.

Ann Ravel resigned from the commission on February 19,2017, effective March 1,2017.

Ann Ravel is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Ann Ravel was a candidate in the 2020 election for California State Senate in District 15, but lost to Dave Cortese.

Ann Ravel was born in the US to an American father and Brazilian mother.

At age five, Ann Ravel moved from the US to Chile where her father had a job with the US government before moving back to San Jose, California, when her father took a teaching position at San Jose State College.

Ann Ravel has three children, two granddaughters and one grandson.

Ann Ravel has served as Chair of the Federal Election Commission and led the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

At the FPPC, Ann Ravel oversaw the regulation of campaign finance, lobbyist registration and reporting, and ethics and conflicts of interest related to officeholders and public employees.

Ann Ravel testified about the case before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee considering the issue of nondisclosure by political groups on April 30,2014.

Ann Ravel worked as an attorney in the Santa Clara County Counsel's Office, ultimately serving as the appointed County Counsel from 1998 until 2009.

Ann Ravel represented the county and its elected officials, provided advice on the state Political Reform Act, initiated programs in elder abuse litigation, educational rights, and consumer litigation on behalf of the Santa Clara County government and the community, and joined a group of California municipal attorneys suing to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

Ann Ravel has served as an elected Governor on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, a member of the Judicial Council of California, and Chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation.

Ann Ravel received the Professional Woman of Achievement Award from the San Jose Mercury News and the Commission on the Status of Women in 1980, the Elizabeth Ent Award for her contributions to law and justice in 1995, and the Circle of Service Achievement Award from the California State Association of Counties in 2004.

Ann Ravel was appointed member of the Federal Election Commission by President Obama on June 21,2013, and took office on October 25,2013, after being confirmation by the Senate.

In May 2015, Ann Ravel told the New York Times that it is unlikely that the FEC will be able to regulate the coming 2016 presidential election.

In 2019, Ann Ravel began a campaign for California state senator.

Ann Ravel said she only defended Persky against the recall "on principle" and still supports the campaign against the recall's "underlying cause".

On March 3,2020, in California's jungle primary concurrent with then presidential Super Tuesday primaries, Ann Ravel placed in 2nd place and thus was able to move on to the general election with then-Santa Clara County Supervisor for District 3 Dave Cortese placing in 1st place.