Ramon Borges-Mendez

research associate, Gaston Institute

Professor Ramon Borges-Mendez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has a professional career in the United States and abroad. He has held academic positions at American University's School of International Service, The Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies, and the University of Chile's Public Policy Program. Professor Borges-Mendez has also served as a Research Associate at the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston. He has also worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation, the World Bank, the Economics Commission on Latin American and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, the Brookings Institute, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the government of Chile. He has written on various public policy issues ranging from Latino poverty and community development in the United States (especially in Massachusetts) to decentralization and civil society matters in Latin America. Most recently, he has been evaluating participatory practices in sustainable forestry and environmental services in Costa Rica; assessing programmatic options to support innovative practices in local government, participation and plural networks in Chile and Peru; assessing the value-added contributions of community-based organizations to workforce development in various US cities; and the implementation of regional workforce development strategies in the US.