Joe is a member of Northwest Austin Rotary and serves on the Travis County Historical Commission. His work on that commission will be the focus of today’s presentation. Originally from Falfurrias, Texas, Joe Ramirez graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a social studies composite from the University of Texas in Austin in 1984. He achieved a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2007. He began his teaching career as a social studies educator with the Austin Independent School District in 1984 at O. Henry Middle School, where he remained until 1993 when Mr. Ramirez became part of the original faculty that opened Bailey Middle School. He transferred to Austin High School, where he taught Advanced Placement US History and Honors World History. In 1999, Joe Ramirez was selected as the Austin ISD High School Teacher of the Year. Mr. Ramirez was inducted as an Honored Faculty Member into the Stephen F. Austin High School Hall of Honor in April 2017. He became part of the Austin ISD Social Studies Curriculum Team in 2001 and was named Austin ISD Social Studies Supervisor in 2006. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2012. He was also selected by the State Bar of Texas to receive the Leon Jaworski Law-Focused Teaching Award in 2010. During his tenure as AISD Social Studies Supervisor, he also served as an officer in both the Texas Council for the Social Studies as well as the Texas Social Studies Supervisors Association. Since his retirement, Mr. Ramirez has authored six freshman college-level U.S. history assessment manuals for Ohlinger Press in Columbus, Ohio, and is in the process of completing his seventh publication.
Joe is part of the Austin Retired Teachers' Association and Phi Delta Kappa International, Chapter 12 at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was just elected to a two-year term as chapter president. Besides Rotary and the Historical Commission, he also volunteers much of time to other community organizations including the Pioneer Farms Board of Governors and the Tejano Genealogical Society of Austin. He also serves as a volunteer docent at the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History and has traveled to Turkey and Kenya to visit and support public schools in these two nations. He will be leaving on another study tour on May 18 to Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, and Greece, where he will be assisting with service projects and visiting various UNESCO World Heritage Sites.