Celebrating Women's History Month, March 2022

18% of Public Safety’s current workforce includes women who have enriched the team with their diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We highlight Maria Elena Ramos (Morningside) and Joanna White (Manhattanville) for their contributions to the team and the University.

Get To Know:

Maria Elena Ramos
Director, Finance, and Administration (Morningside)
a woman standing in front of a brown wall and next to a Columbia University flag.

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Maria is a third-generation Puerto Rican who has been a part of the Columbia workforce for 11 years. Before joining the Public Safety Team as a Payroll Analyst, she held other roles at the University including mailroom clerk, accounts payable specialist, and labor accountant. In November 2021, she was promoted to Director of Finance and Administration where she currently oversees all finance, training, and HR functions for the department across all three campuses. As a new homeowner, her favorite thing to do when she is not at work is DIY projects around the house.

Her advice to women looking for roles in Public Safety and/or in male-dominated industries:
"It's important to be confident in yourself and your decisions. We wouldn’t be in the positions we are in if we didn’t deserve to be, so trust yourself and your skills."

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Joanna White
Public Safety Sergeant (Manhattanville)
portrait photo of woman with loose brown hair and red lipstick smiling

A Californian at heart, Joanna has an MFA in Photography and Digital Media from the Maryland Institute College of Art. As a Sergeant, some of her duties include supervising the day-to-day operations of the officers, responding to incidents on campus, creating incident reports, and monitoring new hire training and performance evaluations. She is currently halfway through the MS in Construction Administration program at SPS while working full-time, and is interested in sustainability projects like living architecture, green roofs and walls, and passive house building.  When she’s not in uniform, she spends most of her time with her miniature dachshund, Rusty.

Her advice to women looking for roles in Public Safety and/or in male-dominated industries:
"Follow the career path that interests you regardless of the potential obstacles, especially if that interest involves starting a business. Working in a traditionally male industry can be challenging. Perseverance, hard work, refining your skillset while putting yourself forward for opportunities, and maintaining a strong backbone make those challenges less daunting. Bet on yourself!"