Alejandro J. Ramos, MPA, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ramos Research Institute, an nonpartisan nonprofit think tank advancing research, policy analysis, and programming related to democracy, civic education, media literacy, public leadership, and youth engagement. A first-generation college graduate and proud Cuban-American, Ramos brings a personal, scholarly, and institutional commitment to civic empowerment, educational opportunity, and democratic renewal.

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Ramos founded the Ramos Research Institute in 2023 while completing his graduate studies at Cornell University. Since then, he has led its growth into an independent 501(c)(3) with a national and international network of scholars, students, and institutional partners. Under his leadership, RRI has recruited and mentored more than 125 research assistants, associates, and fellows; developed more than 20 institutional partnerships; reached more than 1.5 million readers through its research and public commentary; and engaged more than 100,000 students through programming, partnerships, teaching, and public scholarship.

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His work examines how educational institutions, civic organizations, and public leaders can prepare people to participate thoughtfully and meaningfully in democratic life. His research interests include civic education, media and information literacy, higher education leadership, youth political participation, free expression, political polarization, democratic resilience, public trust, and institutional accountability.

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Ramos is co-authoring The Informed Citizen: Media Literacy for Civics Education, anticipated publication mid-2028 from the Harvard Education Press, with media literacy scholar Belinha S. De Abreu. The book explores how civic education and media literacy can be brought together to help students understand democratic institutions, evaluate information, engage across political and social differences, and participate responsibly in public life. It will also provide a practical implementation guide for educators to use.

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He is also leading Rewriting Democracy: Legitimacy, Trust, and the Future of Democratic Resilience, a research report developed through his work with the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies. The project examines how people understand democracy across different political and institutional contexts and offers recommendations for strengthening civic education, media literacy, free expression, democratic communication, and institutional trust.

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At RRI, Ramos has led the development of initiatives including the Citizenship Empowerment Framework, Courageous Dialogue, the Gonzalez Civic Fellowship Program, and the Policy in Action Lab. These efforts reflect his broader interest in translating research into practical models that schools, universities, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and public institutions can adapt and implement. His research has also addressed cancel culture and campus self-censorship, Hispanic and Latino political identity, youth voter participation, administrative growth in higher education, public opinion, and civic engagement in communities with limited local-media infrastructure.

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Ramos teaches The Media, Politics, and Social Justice at a private Catholic university in the Northeast, where his instruction examines political communication, social movements, polarization, free expression, media systems, and civic participation. He has also held teaching and instructional roles at Cornell University in public policy, federal policymaking, ethics, constitutional law, environmental policy, public administration, and policy writing.

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Beyond his leadership of RRI, Ramos serves as a Trustee of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a Board Director of the SHU Alumni Association, and a Trustee of the Chinhee Baek Society. He represents the United States as a YouthLeads Ambassador to the Community of Democracies and is a member of the Alliance for Civics in the Academy. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of The Cornell Policy Review, following his tenure as Editor-in-Chief from 2023 to 2025.

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Ramos has contributed to research and policy work through the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, the Democracy Lab Foundation, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, the Cabrera Lab, the Cornell Center on Democracy, the Youth Democracy Network (YDN), and the Brooks State Policy Advocacy Clinic. His work has included research on youth civic participation, voting behavior, democratic accountability, systems thinking, higher education, and civic-learning policy in the United States and internationally.

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He earned his Master of Public Administration from Cornell University’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, where he was a Brooks Public Policy Fellow, graduated with Highest Honors. His graduate thesis examined the causes and consequences of administrative growth in American higher education. Ramos graduated summa cum laude from Sacred Heart University with bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Spanish and a minor in journalism. During his undergraduate years, he served as Executive President of the Student Government and completed a thesis examining changes in Hispanic and Latino voting behavior in the United States.

 

He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. His doctoral interests center on civic education, institutional leadership, organizational purpose, public trust, and the role of higher education in sustaining democratic societies.

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Ramos is also the author of The Informed Observer, a public-facing publication exploring democracy, education, culture, institutions, and civic life. He regularly contributes op-eds and commentary and appears on television, radio, podcasts, and public forums to discuss the Institute’s research and its implications for education, public policy, and democratic participation.

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His work is grounded in the belief that democracy depends on institutions capable of earning public trust and citizens equipped with the knowledge, judgment, confidence, and sense of responsibility required to participate.​