17 Facts About Ryan Quarles

Ryan Francis Quarles was born on October 20,1983 and is an academic administrator and American politician who was the Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky from 2016 to 2024 and a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016.

Ryan Quarles has served as president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System since 2024.

Ryan Quarles attended Scott County High School and was the valedictorian of the class of 2002.

Ryan Quarles received a Truman Scholarship, Udall Scholarship, and a scholarship from Toyota.

Ryan Quarles ran, in 2010, for the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 62nd District.

On October 2,2010, Ryan Quarles was arrested in Lexington, Kentucky, for reckless driving.

Ryan Quarles was driving through a parking lot, weaving through cars, the uniform citation said.

The report said Ryan Quarles showed signs of intoxication, and he had a blood alcohol level of 0.067, when given a breath test.

In November 2010, Ryan Quarles received 8,508 votes to incumbent state representative Charlie Hoffman's 8,287, winning by 521 votes.

Ryan Quarles ran in a district redrawn by the Democratic-controlled House to be more Democratic, drawing in territory which had previously not been part of the district.

Ryan Quarles was made a top target of the Democrats, and his opponent, Chuck Tackett, was a Scott County Magistrate.

Ryan Quarles won the Republican nomination against fellow State Representative Richard Heath, in a very close election, with 92,700 votes, versus 91,273 votes for Heath.

Ryan Quarles had been endorsed by the incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture, James Comer, and he defeated Jean-Marie Lawson Spann, in the general election.

In June 2022, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, led by Daniel Cameron, concluded that the Kentucky Department of Agriculture violated Kentucky's open records law, by failing to respond to a request for records related to any litigation involving Ryan Quarles or involving the agriculture department, during his tenure, that had been made by the Kentucky Democratic party.

Ryan Quarles campaigned, aggressively, in rural areas of the state and earned 235 endorsements from local officials.

Ryan Quarles lost the Republican primary to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, coming in second place, with 21 percent of the vote.

In June 2024, Ryan Quarles outlined his vision for learner success, employment success, and organizational success, along with 20 goals to achieve in the next 12 months.