Director of External Relations
As the Director of External Relations, Vanessa Ramalho supports ArtPride’s advocacy and government affairs work, leading efforts to move forward legislative priorities that support the sustainability of the arts in New Jersey. Vanessa also builds relationships with constituents throughout the state — from community members to arts organizations, and local and state representatives — to support the cultivation of a thriving arts ecosystem.
Before joining ArtPride, Vanessa worked in the diversity and equity training field as the Director of Storytelling & Relationships at OF/BY/ FOR ALL. She is an educator, visual artist, and birth worker with foundations in social justice education, sexual & reproductive health education & advocacy, and nonprofit fundraising and management. With nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit arts & cultural sector, Vanessa has led community education, fundraising, and grassroots advocacy projects across a range of organizations, including the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA), Project KISS of New York Presbyterian Hospital, The Princeton Ballet School, the Asian Arts Initiative, and the Center for Babaylan Studies. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rutgers University Newark and a Master of Arts in Arts Politics from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Vanessa is a mom of 6 (3 human kids and 3 chickens), and in her spare time, she enjoys playing the harp, pole dance fitness, and Filipino Martial Arts.
