Debra Bowen
| Debra Bowen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 31st Secretary of State of California | |
|
In office January 8, 2007 – January 4, 2015 |
|
| Governor |
Arnold Schwarzenegger Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Bruce McPherson |
| Succeeded by | Alex Padilla |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 28th district |
|
|
In office 1998–2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Ralph Dills |
| Succeeded by | Jenny Oropeza |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 53rd district |
|
|
In office 1992–1998 |
|
| Preceded by | Richard Floyd |
| Succeeded by | George Nakano |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 27, 1955 Rockford, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Nechodom |
| Alma mater |
Michigan State University (B.A) University of Virginia (J.D) |
| Profession |
Lawyer Politician |
Debra Lynn Bowen (born October 27, 1955), a member of the Democratic Party, was the Secretary of State of California from 2007 to 2015. Previously, she was a member of the California State Legislature from 1992 to 2006. In March 2008, she was given the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Bowen was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, where she graduated from Guilford High School in 1973. She received her bachelor's degree in 1976 from Michigan State University, and her Juris Doctor in 1979 from the University of Virginia School of Law. In 1984, she started her own California law firm.
Motivated by the death of Robin Williams a few weeks earlier, in September 2014, her last year serving as Secretary of State, Bowen revealed that she has been battling depression since she's been in college. She vowed to continue to serve out her term as Secretary of State.
Bowen began her career in politics on the Neighborhood Watch and Heal the Bay. Her first elected office was to the California State Assembly, where she represented the 53rd Assembly District in the South Bay, Los Angeles area from 1992 to 1998. Bowen was first elected to the California State Senate, representing the 28th State Senate District, in 1998. Her district included all or portions of the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Venice, and Wilmington. Bowen chaired the California Senate's Committee on Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments. She also sat on the Energy, Utilities & Communications and Rules committees. Due to term limits, her service in the Senate ended in December 2006.
...
Wikipedia