Ann Ravel is the Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, appointed by Governor Brown in March of 2011. Prior to her appointment she served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Torts and Consumer Litigation in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. Most of her career was as an attorney in the Santa Clara County Counsel's Office, ultimately serving as the appointed County Counsel from 1998 until 2009. As County Counsel, she represented the County and its elected officials, provided advice on the Political Reform Act, and initiated groundbreaking programs in Elder Abuse Litigation, Educational Rights, and Consumer Litigation on behalf of the County and the community. Ravel has served as an elected Governor on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, as a member of the Judicial Council of the State of California, and as the Chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. In 2007 she was named by the State Bar of California as the Public Attorney of the Year for her contributions to public service.