Denise Ramirez serves as the Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer at the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD).
Denise has more than 20 years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Denise joined DYCD in January 2023, in her role she works across the agency to implement strategies that increase access and opportunities to underserved communities. With that in mind, she has been leading the agency’s efforts to operationalize the use of ArcGIS to understand the spatial distribution of programs and identify patterns on inequities, as well as use the outputs of this type of analysis to engage communities and inform decision making.
Prior to joining DYCD, Denise worked at the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) as the Director of Strategic Planning. In that role she oversaw regional planning, grants, and the Mobility Management Program (a program established to advance equity in transportation). She led the Equity and Inclusion in Planning Working Group, which developed 17 strategies to advance racial equity at DOT. This includes the development of the equity priority areas to guide investments of street improvement projects.
Before joining NYC government, Denise worked at the Nassau County Planning Department where she oversaw the County’s transit system (Long Island Bus/NICE bus) compliance with civil rights and other federal requirements. Denise also worked at Phipps Community Development Corporation in the Bronx. During her time at Phipps, she established a workforce program, a resource library, and coordinated health and wellness events for the community.
Denise earned a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and a Bachelors in Environmental Design from the University at Buffalo (SUNY).