New at the Top: Rey Ramsey uses business savvy to help the disadvantaged

When my family moved from Philadelphia to South Jersey, I had to learn how to work with people from a different background. Rather than get into fights every day, I found quickly that it suits one well to build bridges with people. That eventually became part of my DNA.

In law school, while most firms would talk about the economic benefits of joining them, one from Oregon spent most of its time talking about the civic work the staff was doing. I was sold.

After a couple of years doing corporate law, I was recruited to work for the governor of Oregon. He was this hard-charging, exciting governor who had a very strong business bent.

My job was to help expand and develop businesses but also to see that more people got jobs.

I traveled frequently. When we went on tours, I would speak passionately about the intersection of economic development and housing. I had already been helping to connect the poor with jobs and housing, so I was speaking from vivid, firsthand experience.

When I was 29, the governor decided to appoint me to head his housing department. It was not a popular move. Legislators criticized the decision. Out of respect, I offered to drop out. The governor told me that was the stupidest thing I had ever said. I asked why. He said I had done so well growing economic development programs, mobilizing people in my eight-county reach, and bringing something key to the team -- passion. He took a chance on me.

It was a Cabinet-level position managing millions of dollars at a very young age, but I performed. I made a promise to myself that housing was never going to be the same in that state.

I proposed eliminating one program to create a more effective program with a trust fund. That was historic for the state and changed the relationship between government and housing.

In my first legislative session, I proposed 14 bills, all of which passed. I also helped to create the Housing Lobby Coalition, which brought together advocates for the homeless with Realtors and bankers.

Jim Rouse had heard about my work in Oregon and wanted me to join him on his endeavor at the Enterprise Foundation to make a difference by applying business sense to charity.

It's no different from One Economy, a company I eventually started to put technology in the hands of the disadvantaged.

There's a group of students in North Carolina I refer to as the discarded boys. I knew I had to fight to give them a chance. They were kicked out of all the other schools and sent to a recovery school. One Economy has changed their curriculum, and now they're in digital connector programs. It is so rewarding to hear about their dreams and their hopes to start a business.

Then I got a phone call from TechNet. I saw that it was building bridges back to the sectors I had worked in. I knew it would be a good decision to join up.

-- Interview with Vanessa Mizell

Please send nominations for New at the Top to newatthetop@washpost.com.