Diana Ramirez
County Administrator, Harris County
- Your public career highlights and education.
My first job after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin was with Health and Human Services in Brownsville as a food stamp eligibility specialist. That job is what propelled me to earn a master’s degree in public affairs in domestic policy from Princeton University. Since then, I’ve spent my career in public service, first with the General Land Office working on the Texas Coastal Management Program. I moved to local government in 1999, spending 21 years in Travis County’s Planning & Budget Office and now in Harris County as the County Administrator.
- What you like best about public service.
I love solving problems. In public service, you have to do research, analyze data, write compelling policy documents, understand how to fund a program with ever-constrained taxpayer resources and navigate the political landscape at the local, state and federal levels. In the end, if you get it right and the program is funded and produces the intended outcomes, you get to see the impact on your community.
- An example of some of the best advice you have ever received.
The best advice I received when I was starting out was provided by my first boss in Travis County, Leroy Nellis. He told me that it was okay if I made a mistake, so long as I owned up to it in a timely manner and came to him with a solution. It’s an expectation I share with my staff today.
- Something you wish more people knew about the division of government you serve.
Many people don’t know what county government does. County government is responsible for a large portion of the justice system, law enforcement and jail management and major infrastructure (e.g., roads, bridges, sidewalks, community centers, libraries, parks, trails and drainage and flood control) in unincorporated portions of the county. County governments also manage public health programs and serve as a social service safety net for our most vulnerable residents.
- Any current project or initiative that you are working on.
The county’s current agreements with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Houston Texans, the County’s tenants at NRG Park, expire in seven years. I am working with a county team to negotiate new agreements that will help us better maintain park infrastructure, take advantage of placemaking opportunities in and around the Park, and create community benefits for Harris County taxpayers and residents.
- One thing outside of government service people may not know about you.
I de-stress by quilting because it makes me focus intently on what I’m doing and pushes out the work noise. And I have a beautiful quilt at the end.