Overcoming all the obstacles of a broken home, alcoholic father, barrio youth gangs, drugs and violence, Richard has become a recognized voice and national expert on community leadership.
Ramos is Founder of the Latino Coalition for Faith & Community Leadership, a national nonprofit intermediary that served to strengthen and expand the capacity of nonprofits serving at-risk Latino youth & families. Under his leadership the Coalition provided $6 million in grants to 60 organizations in over twenty cities in six states across the U.S. in only four years of existence.
He is also the Founder of “Parents on a Mission” - A Parent Leadership Movement to Nurture Happy Children For Healthy Communities. Currently Richard is working in several communities around the country empowering parents through his six-week curriculum and one day parent coaching seminars.
For his 30 years of community service and his work in the field of human rights and interfaith understanding, he has received numerous accolades and awards including recognition by the White House
Administration, The United States Congress, The California State Senate and Assembly, and is one of an exclusive group of Latinos inducted into the Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapels Board. Ramos is also a nationally recognized expert on Gang Prevention and written two books on the subject, his latest is, “Gang Prevention and Schools - The Ultimate Parent & Teacher Guide on How to Keep Kids From Joining Gangs” (2008).
Ramos knows the challenges of his community. Early in his career he served as a correctional officer in both state and federal prisons; a Juvenile Hall instructor and at-risk junior high and high school counselor; a co-founding director of a gang intervention community coalition; a director of a Latino youth & family teen center; a Senior Pastor for sixteen years; and founder of the Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara County. These experiences and continued community service has made him a sought after speaker on community leadership.
Currently Richard speaks to hundreds of parents, professionals, political, faith-based and community leaders and students each year - providing instruction and inspiration for building healthy and safe communities.
Contact Richard at 805-331-0902, or Email Him, to inquire about collaborating with him.
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"Rarely have I had the honor of knowing and working with a leader with such passion, vision, conviction and extraordinary skills. Like any great leader, he is deeply committed to his own and others’ growth and continuous learning. And yes, despite all his accomplishments, he remains a humble man and provides us all with a motivating example of servant leadership." - Charles Slosser, President and CEO Santa Barbara Foundation
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"My first encounter with Richard was at a forum on violence...he was the keynote speaker, and spoke on the topic of the angry heart. My heart was moved that day and forever changed after listening to his inspired message...he can help in a profound, unique and lasting way, if given the chance to simply speak." - Honorable Denise De Bellefeuille, Judge Santa Barbara Municipal Court
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"I have met few leaders with Richard’s passion, knowledge and ability to help organizations move to a higher level of effectiveness. He offers a rare combination of compelling vision alongside practical insight on how to address effectively some of our communities’ most pressing challenges." - Jedd Medefind, former Chief of Staff The California Legislature and co-author of The Revolutionary Communicator