Cristina Ramirez

I currently hold a Post-Doctoral position as a research and writing specialist at The University of Texas at El Paso under the auspices of The National Center for Border Security and Immigration (NCBSI). The NCBSI is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funded Center of Excellence housed in the Office of Strategic Initiatives. (http://osi.utep.edu )The mission of the center is to develop a Homeland Security Education Program that is relevant to our customers, or the agency’s employees, at all levels. As part of the education program development, the center is conducting an education needs assessment through a survey in order to determine the courses and topics of study that would be most important to agency employees. I am a key member in the development, distribution, assessment and presentation of the survey. I am traveling throughout the United States and talking to all levels of agency employees in the Border Patrol, Customs and Immigration Services, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After the assessment is completed and the data has been analyzed, I will be a key participant in creating and conducting workshops for our customer’s administrative personnel. The workshops will personally engage the agencies in the decisions about the direction of the Education Program, and it will help them identify inter-agency educational needs.

My research and work in this position has enhanced my writing, interpersonal and administrative skills. With UTEP as the lead research institution, the center was responsible for producing the Year One Progress Report. I was closely involved in revising, editing and redesigning the grant report that was sent directly to the grant committee in Washington, D.C. Each contact with the various agencies, I have initiated and planned meetings with administrative staff, and have addressed large audiences when conducting the survey. With this position, I have worked at many levels of industry, government and academe, and I am prepared to move forward into another challenging position.