Dr. John Ramos, Sr., a longtime champion of equity and excellence, began his career in the social service sector as a program developer and instructor at the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and Director of Education and Employment at the Urban League. After a brief foray into banking, Dr. Ramos dedicated his career to institutional capacity-building in public and private sector organizations at the local, state, national, university and international levels.
Dr. Ramos has been recognized as a visionary leader, a change agent and an organizational healer due to his successes in repairing and mending the social fabric, expectations and coherence necessary for an organization to maintain a healthy functional state, especially following crises or setbacks. Dr. Ramos has served as the Principal of Norwalk High School (CT), Deputy Commissioner of Education in the State of Connecticut, and the Superintendent of Schools in both Watertown, CT and Bridgeport, CT – the largest city in the state of Connecticut – and Interim Superintendent of Groton, CT. He then took on the role of Principal/CEO at Middle East International School in Qatar, focusing on the achievement of US accreditation. After two years in the Middle East, he returned stateside to serve as Superintendent of the School District of South Orange and Maplewood in New Jersey. Most recently, he returned to Watertown to serve as Interim Superintendent during the autumn, 2020 COVID crisis.
Dr. Ramos is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Rhode Island, the Ethics in Education Award from the Connecticut School of Ethical Education, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. International Award from the State of Israel, the Living Waters Award from the United Church of Christ, Connecticut Conference and a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island and the Norwalk Community Leadership Institute. Various schools under his stewardship have been cited for National School Change, U.S. Blue Ribbon, and community and foundation distinctions, as well.
Respected for his inspirational human relations and communication skills, Dr. Ramos has engaged colleagues and stakeholders in multifaceted venues. Results of his insightful report, “Closing the Gap: The Institutionalization of Learning Communities,” were published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and remain relevant today.