Ross has been dedicated to public service on a local, national, and global level for the past ten years. His passion for social justice was born out of his involvement throughout high school and college with community organizations in Cincinnati’s impoverished inner city.

Throughout high school, Ross taught GED classes at a homeless shelter, tutored in an after school program, mentored youth, led affordable housing construction crews, initiated service programs, and directed a youth summer program. His deep involvement with the community continues to shape his public service work today.

While an undergraduate at Miami University, Ross developed new civic engagement programs and advocacy organizations to mobilize fellow students around various social issues and engage them in social change efforts. Specifically, he initiated and coordinated 20 service-learning weekend trips for over 300 students to learn about issues of race and poverty in Cincinnati’s inner city. On an international level, Ross’s work with Amnesty International for eight years led him to coordinate two national human rights delegations to Latin America and to participate in the International Human Rights Exchange in South Africa.

In 2004, Ross graduated summa cum laude from Miami University with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on public policy and social inequality. After graduating, Ross worked with America Coming Together to register, educate, and mobilize Democratic voters in Ohio for the 2004 presidential election. Ross then conducted research on civic engagement for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation and served as a consultant on a local political campaign.

A 2003 Harry S. Truman Scholar, member of the USA Today All-USA Academic First Team, and NYU Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship, Ross is currently studying in the Master of Public Administration program at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Ross is conducting policy analysis and research for New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding. Ross hopes to build a career of revitalizing struggling urban neighborhoods, ultimately in his hometown, Cincinnati.