James Ramos, who blazed a path
of leadership and became the first Native American serving the public in varied
state, regional, and county governmental posts, will lecture on leadership at 6
p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2014, at Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, 127 N. San Gorgonio Ave. in Banning. Your $5 helps us save and share Native American cultures.
Ramos, of San Manuel Band of
Mission Indians, is the first Native American:
• Elected as a San Bernardino County Supervisor (serving the Third District
since 2102);
• Elected to the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees, where he
served as president (2005-2012);
• Serving on the California State Board of Education (since he was appointed by
Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011).
Ramos also is chairman of the
California Native Heritage Commission, and has served on that commission
protecting California Indian cultural resources since appointed by then-Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008. He also is the immediate past Chairman of the
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
His civic leadership includes
service on numerous boards and organizations promoting business, economic, and
social opportunities in Inland Southern California. His numerous awards for
service and leadership include an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from
Northern Arizona University (2009), recognition from the California League of
High Schools for his support of the education community of Region 10 (2010),
and the Congressional Community Leadership Award (2003).
Ramos was born and raised on
San Manuel Indian Reservation, where he and his siblings lived in one of three
mobile homes along Victoria Avenue. He began working at an early age, and today
he’s a successful entrepreneur, operating two restaurants in the San Bernardino
area. He and his wife of 24 years, Terri, are the proud parents of four
children. Ramos earned his associate’s degree at Victor Valley Community
College, his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from
California State University, San Bernardino, and a master’s degree in Business
Administration from the University of Redlands.
Ramos has a deep commitment to
the preservation of California Indian culture. He is co-founder of the San
Manuel Band’s Cultural Awareness Program, and serves as director of the
California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference held annually at California
State University, San Bernardino. He is one of the founding board members of
the nonprofit Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, which saves and shares Southern
California’s Native American cultures, languages, history, and traditional
arts.
