Candidate for
Member, Board of Supervisors; County of San Bernardino; District 3

About James Ramos

James Ramos, MBA, has been a member, since 2005, of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees, and he is the past president and the first Native American to be elected to the board. In 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Ramos to the California State Native American Heritage Commission for which he currently serves as chairman. In 2011, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Ramos to the California State Board of Education, again the first Native American to serve. Ramos is a successful entrepreneur, operating two restaurants in the San Bernardino region.

Ramos is a proven civic leader and has served on numerous boards and organizations promoting business, economic and social opportunities in the greater San Bernardino area, including the San Bernardino County Museum Association, Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Foundation, Foundation Board of Governors, California State University San Bernardino, Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, St. Bernardine Medical Center Foundation, San Bernardino Valley College Foundation, Crafton Hills College Foundation, Arrowhead United Way, and KVCR (Public Television) Foundation for Education.

Through his work as a civic leader, Ramos received an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Northern Arizona University (2009), and was awarded the "Keeper of the Light Award" for his distinguished contributions to the Inland Empire education community. He was recognized by the San Bernardino Sun Newspaper as one of ten people "Who Made a Difference in 2000," and earned the 2002 Diversity Award from California State University San Bernardino.

Ramos is a past recipient of the Congressional Community Leadership Award (2003) and in December 2010 was recognized by the California League of High Schools for his support of the education community of Region 10.

Ramos earned his Associate of Science degree at Valley Community College, his Bachelor of Science 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.

Mr. 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.

From 2008 - 2012, he served as the elected Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians. Ramos was born and raised on the San Manuel Indian Reservation in Highland, California. James and his wife Terri are the proud parents of four children.