Meet the Team: Inez Ramirez
Community Development Fellow Inez Ramirez has been instrumental in supporting community-focused initiatives like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Kirkpatrick Heights Greenwood Master Plan. Inez is now leading our recently launched Community Impact Initiative, which is focused on enhancing our organizational capacity through a neighborhood-led impact project. Learn more about Inez and her ongoing community engagement efforts in this month’s Meet the Team profile.
What is your role at PartnerTulsa? How do you support PartnerTulsa’s mission to drive economic growth for the city?
I am a community development fellow for PartnerTulsa. I manage and support efforts that increase equitable development and economic mobility across the city of Tulsa. I have worked on initiatives like our Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Tulsa’s Housing Strategy, Community Impact Initiative, and the Kirkpatrick Heights Greenwood Masterplan. My role also includes communicating with residents and stakeholders to assess the needs of their neighborhoods, understand the barriers that prevent residents from acquiring and retaining economic opportunities, and learn more about the culture and history of their communities. These areas of outreach are essential in ensuring that Tulsa receives equitable economic growth that allows for the economic mobility of all residents
Why did you join the PartnerTulsa team? What do you enjoy most about your role?
I joined the PartnerTulsa team through Tulsa Service Year. I knew that I wanted to stay in Tulsa after graduating from college. I grew an interest in community development after years of working in youth development and seeing the transformative impact it had on residents and their families. PartnerTulsa’s mission to improve equitable economic opportunity for residents of Tulsa aligned with my personal values. I enjoy working with such a passionate and driven team. I also love engaging with residents, hearing their personal stories makes our work more intentional.
What current PartnerTulsa project are you most excited about and why?
I’m excited to see what neighborhood projects our partner organizations develop through our Community Impact Initiative! The organizations leading these projects are in the initial stages of their development, but they all have shared great ideas with us. I’m looking forward to seeing how their projects unfold.
What is your favorite place to visit or thing to do in Tulsa?
I love trying out new ramen or pho places. My favorite place so far has been Pho Da Cao. I’m always open to new suggestions!
PartnerTulsa recently launched a Community Impact Initiative (Community Arts Initiative), which provides grant funding and training to local non-profits to support capacity building and neighborhood revitalization. Can you tell us more about this new initiative and its first cohort?
Our Community Impact Initiative is focused on building organizational capacity through a neighborhood-led impact project. Each organization will develop an individual community-driven project that showcases the history and culture of their neighborhoods. Organizations will build internal capacity as they implement community outreach strategies and organize residential events through a mutual project development effort. We have five organizations in our pilot program including the Phoenix District, the Global District, North Tulsa Economic Development Initiative (NTEDi), Greenwood Historic District, and Chamberlain Neighbors. Part of our initiative included a trip to Chicago where we connected our partner organizations to non-profit organizations who have implemented similar initiatives. We also have monthly scheduled meetings where we connect our partners with Tulsa organizations or community members who we believe could be a resource for their individual projects.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
I love traveling to more remote locations. My favorite trip was to Chilean Patagonia. I visited Torres del Paine national park while I was down there!