Ranae Bartlett earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law where she was a member of the Arkansas Law Review and a member of the National Moot Court team. Ranae met her husband Todd in law school, and they have been married over 30 years. Upon graduating from law school, she clerked for the Honorable Henry A. Politz, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ranae graduated with high honors from the University of Central Arkansas, earning a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in mathematics and political science.

Ranae and her family moved to Madison from Northwest Arkansas in 2003 where she worked for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. as Assistant General Counsel and Director of Risk Analysis and Security Resources. Upon moving to Alabama, she worked as a career law clerk to the Honorable C. Lynwood Smith, Jr., US District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. She and Todd have one son who graduated from the University of Alabama.

Ranae was appointed to the Madison Board of Education in June 2011 and was reappointed in 2016. She served as Vice-President from 2015-2017 and President from 2017-2020. Ranae was elected to the Madison City Council in 2020. She served as Council President from 2022-2024 and Council President Pro Tempore in 2025. 

Ranae is a graduate of Class 26 of Leadership Greater Huntsville. Ranae founded the Madison City Chess League in 2013, a non-profit organization that promotes chess education in North Alabama. In 2024, Ranae was selected to be Executive Director of the US Chess Federation, a position she held until being sworn in as Mayor of Madison in November 2025.

Ranae received the Women of Distinction award from the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama in 2013 and the All-State School Board Member award from the Alabama Association of School Boards in 2020. In 2025, she was inducted into the Alabama Chess Hall of Fame.