Bahia Ramos
Director of Arts, The Wallace Foundation
Bahia Ramos has been director of arts at The Wallace Foundation since 2018. She leads the team responsible for the strategy and implementation of the foundation’s work in areas including investments in arts institutions and promoting arts education for young people. Before arriving at Wallace, Ramos served as program director of the arts for the Knight Foundation, where she led the organization’s strategy for a $35 million annual investment in arts funding across the country. In that role, she built national partnerships and initiatives with organizations such as ArtPlace and Sundance, and worked on the local level to bring more high-quality arts experiences to diverse audiences and neighborhoods. Previously at Knight, Ramos had served as director/community foundations, managing a $140 million investment in community foundations in 26 cities supporting local civic innovation and community vibrancy. Ramos has given presentations on a wide range of topics at forums across the country, including Grantmakers in the Arts, the Arts & Business Council of New York, the Alliance of Artist Communities, and Black Portraitures IV. Ramos received her undergraduate degree in history from Williams College, and a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, where she was a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honors Society and a National Urban Fellow. She also serves on the board of Prospect Park Alliance.