Representative Ilana Rubel

Ilana S. Rubel, born on November 11, 1972, is a Canadian-born American politician who is currently serving as a Democratic member of the Idaho House of Representatives. She represents the south Boise-based District 18 since January 2014 and currently serves as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

Early Life and Education: Ilana Rubel was born in Toronto, Canada. She attended the University of Toronto Schools as a child. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Law School. At Georgetown University, she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in American government and English. After her undergraduate studies, she went on to attend Harvard Law School where she earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in 1997.

Career: Before joining the Idaho House of Representatives, Rubel was a partner with the law firm Fenwick & West in Boise, one of the nation’s premier law firms focusing on technology clients. She became a member of the Idaho House of Representatives in 2014. Rubel was appointed to the position by Gov. Butch Otter to serve the remainder of the term of Janie Ward-Engelking, who was appointed to the Idaho Senate.

In December 2019, Rubel ran for Idaho House Minority Leader after the then incumbent, Rep. Mat Erpelding, resigned to take a position with the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. She won the position and has been serving as the Minority Leader of the Idaho House of Representatives since then.

Personal Life: Ilana Rubel is married to John Paschke and they have four children: Andrew, Claire, Thomas, and Evan. She has served on the Board of Directors of Bogus Basin HOA since 2009 and was a founding member of BSU Honors College Advisory Board. She has also volunteer-taught “Civics and the Constitution” at different Boise schools.