Ross Miller is the youngest Secretary of State in the United States and the youngest in Nevada history. Unanimously selected by his peers to serve as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State for 2012, Ross’ record of achievement since taking office in 2007 reflects his commitment to accountability and results in government.
As a former criminal prosecutor, Ross took bold action in restoring faith in the electoral process in establishing the Nevada Multi-Jurisdictional Election Integrity Task Force. The multi-jurisdictional Task Force is the first of its kind in the country and has been recognized by the United States Department of Justice as a model for guaranteeing the integrity of elections. The 2008 election law investigation into ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and subsequent criminal voter registration charges against ACORN reflect Ross’s commitment to integrity in our election system as well as his experience as a criminal prosecutor.
With a Masters' in Business Administration and a Bachelors’ Degree from Stanford University, Ross leads the office from a business perspective. Since taking office, he has created vital new services that will simultaneously generate millions of dollars in revenue for Nevada and streamline state government. The Nevada Business Portal, currently being developed under the direct supervision of Secretary Miller, will be the country’s first and most extensive online, “one-stop shop” web platform for new and existing businesses to conduct transactions with a complete range of State agencies, counties, and municipalities. It will allow Nevada business owners to handle their licensing, billing, payments and filings with state and local governments online, all through a single website and without having to leave their computer.
Unprecedented in America, the one-stop-shop will generate tens of millions of dollars a year in new revenue for our state and greatly enhance Nevada’s pro-business status. When teamed with the corporate recruiting website Ross created, www.whynevada.com, the Portal is pivotal in efforts to attract the new wave of Green, sustainable industries to Nevada and will lead our state toward true economic diversification.
A third-generation Nevadan, Ross previously served as a Deputy District Attorney in Clark County. As a criminal prosecutor, he convicted criminals of a wide range of offenses including murder, sexual assault, armed robbery, drug trafficking, kidnapping and child molestation. As the head of Nevada’s Securities Division, Ross has utilized the skills he honed at the District Attorney’s office in successfully prosecuting con-men and financial swindlers for preying on vulnerable Nevadans.
In 2009, Ross was selected as one of "24 Rising Stars" in American governance by the Aspen Institute and awarded the Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership. The program is a two-year fellowship designed to break down partisan barriers and to enable officeholders to step back from their daily responsibilities to consider broader questions of good governance. Ross has also been recognized by the Nevada Press Women “Men to Watch” list as one of the ten most watchable men. In 2007, he was also recognized by the Reno Gazette Journal with their 20 under 40 award, an annual program to recognize young and accomplished leaders under the age of 40.
He currently serves as a board member of HELP of Southern Nevada and as Treasurer of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Prior to his election in 2006, he was President of Citizens Alert, whose mission is fighting against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage facility. Ross also served as Board Member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada prior to relocating to Reno.
Ross holds dual degrees, a JD and an MBA, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is also a graduate of Stanford University, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with Minors in Psychology and Political Science. While at Stanford, Ross served as a White House intern under Thurgood Marshall, Jr. Ross attended the Monterrey Technological Institute in Monterrey, Mexico where he and his teammates won the Collegiate National Basketball Championship.
Born in Las Vegas, Ross grew up in both Las Vegas and Carson City. He is the son of Nevada’s longest-serving Governor, Bob Miller, and First Lady Sandy Miller. While in Carson City, Ross attended Carson High School. He transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he was a McDonald’s High School Basketball All-American Nominee.
Ross met his wife Lesley when both were law students at Loyola Marymount. Lesley is an attorney with Mainor, Eglet, a Nevada law firm. Ross and Lesley have two beautiful daughters, Cameron, 4, and Geneva, 2.
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