Career Highlights

2008
  • Elected as an At-Large Member of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) Board of Directors of the National League of Cities (NLC)
2006
  • Elected North Ward Councilman for the City of Newark, NJ
2004
  • Appointed as Director for the Department of Citizen Services and Economic Development, Training and Employment  Department
2003
  • Joined the County of Essex as Deputy Director for the Department of Citizen Services
  • Elected and served as Chairman of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board
  • Named Acting Director and added responsibilities included the Economic Development, Training and Employment Department
2001
  • In the summer joined the Newark Public Schools in the Office of the Superintendent of Education
1997
  • Completed undergraduate work at Rutgers-Newark University with a Bachelor’s Degree is Urban History and Political Science with 3.83 GPA and a member of Phi Beta Kappa
  • Joined FOCUS Hispanic Community Development, Inc.

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Anibal Ramos, Jr. was born and raised in the City of Newark.  As a young leader, Anibal has a distinguished career in public service.  He is an elected official, has served on a number of state and local Boards of Trustees and currently manages one of the largest County Human Services and Employment Training Departments in the metropolitan tri-state area.  His innovative leadership style and team approach to management have earned him positive results and recognition.

Anibal completed his undergraduate work at Rutgers-Newark University in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban History and Political Science and graduated with highest honors.  In 1999, he completed his Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Management through Rutgers University’s Department of Public Administration.  

Anibal’s first venture into public service was with a small non-profit with a long history in the City of Newark FOCUS Hispanic Community Development, Inc. where he served in a number of leadership roles in his five year commitment.  During the summer 2001, Anibal joined the the Newark Public Schools to work with the Office of the Superintendent where he coordinated a number of partnership projects in the community.

For the past five years, Anibal has served as a Cabinet member of Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.  As the Director of the Department of Citizen Services and the Department of Economic Development, Training and Employment, Anibal has lead efforts to:
 
·    Reduce overcrowding at Essex County Juvenile Detention Center and expand the school program offered to juveniles at the facility and improve overall conditions of confinement.
·    Expand the number of detention alternatives offered to court involved youth that has positioned Essex County as a national model in this area.
·    Transition thousands of welfare recipients into work and thereby reducing the County’s welfare caseload to fewer than 9,000 TANF cases the lowest since welfare reform started.
·    Expand outreach initiatives by establishing the county’s mobile welfare office and staffing an outreach unit the works with correctional facilities and halfway houses to increase participation in the food stamp program.
·   Organize Project Homeless Connect Day to assist provide one day one stop services environment to assist hundreds of local homeless. 

Position the County’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program to be recognized as a best practices model in developing valuable partnerships with towns and municipalities and expanding home improvement opportunities.

His extensive involvement in the community includes serving as the President of CHISPA (Concerned Hispanics In Search of Progress and Advancement) (1999-2003), Chairperson and Trustee of ASPIRA, Inc. of New Jersey (1997-2002), Board Member United Way of Essex and West Hudson (2005-2006), Member and former President New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Board of Trustees and Member of the Hispanic Directors Association (1999-2002).  Anibal is also a member of the State Democratic Committee. 

In April 2003, Anibal was elected a member of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board and later was appointed Chairman and reappointed for a second term as Chairperson.  Most recently in 2006, Anibal was elected by the North Ward residents of the City of Newark to serve a four year term as their Councilman. He secured over 8,700 votes and thus had the largest number of votes of any Ward candidate.