Kent L. Cravens (born January 25, 1960) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the stat ...

from January 2001 to September 29, 2011.

Early life and education

Cravens was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended the

New Mexico Military Institute New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) is a public military junior college and high school in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the G ...

for two years before graduating from

Manzano High School Manzano High School is a public high school located in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is part of the Albuquerque Public Schools system. The current principal is Rachel Vigil. History While still sophomores, Manzano's first senior class ...

in 1978.Kent Cravens' Biography
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Career

From 1989 to 1997, Cravens owned Premier Foods Incorporated. After his sister-in-law was killed in a drunk driving incident in 1992, Cravens began lobbying the

New Mexico Legislature The New Mexico Legislature ( es, Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate. History The N ...

to enact stricter DWI laws. In 1999, he founded Alphagraphics Print Shop. He has also worked in the real estate industry. In 1998, Cravens became the vice chair of the

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.Bernalillo Co ...

Republican Party. Cravens was elected to the

in November 2000 and assumed office in January 2001. Cravens represented the 21st district for 10 years, later serving as the ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee. Cravens resigned from his seat on September 29, 2011 and took a job with the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association as director of intergovernmental affairs. In 2016, Cravens became the CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors.

Personal life

Cravens and his wife, Melanie, have two daughters and one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cravens, Kent Living people 1960 births Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico Businesspeople from New Mexico Republican Party New Mexico state senators People from Bernalillo County, New Mexico