Rey Ramsey: Bridging the Digital Divide and Fostering Socioeconomic Empowerment
Rey Ramsey's career is marked by a consistent dedication to leveraging technology and innovation to address socioeconomic disparities. From his early work in affordable housing to his leadership roles in tech and investment, Ramsey has championed initiatives that promote digital inclusion and economic empowerment.
Early Life and Education
Rey Ramsey's journey began with a strong foundation in education and a commitment to social justice. His primary education at Assumption School in Atco, a Catholic institution, saw him participating in its racial integration efforts amid the civil rights era's aftermath. He received a B.A. in political science from Rutgers University, where he was a member of Cap and Skull and ZBT fraternity, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. He moved to Oregon after law school and served as head of the state’s housing agency under two governors. These formative experiences instilled in him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized communities and a desire to effect meaningful change.
From Law to Public Policy and Non-Profit Leadership
Following his early legal practice, Ramsey transitioned into public policy through a gubernatorial appointment in Oregon. Subsequently, Ramsey moved into non-profit leadership, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Community Partners in the 1990s, an organization dedicated to community revitalization and equitable housing development. This position built on his public sector experience by prioritizing advocacy for policy reforms in urban equity, including collaborations on federal initiatives like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit expansions during the 1990s.
By 1998, he joined the board of Habitat for Humanity International, further embedding himself in non-profit efforts to combat poverty through housing, which involved board-level involvement in global programs that constructed or rehabilitated thousands of homes for low-income families that year. He was also chairman of Habitat for Humanity International from 2003-2005. These engagements honed organizational strategies for addressing socioeconomic divides, paralleling national policy discussions on access barriers-such as the 1995 NTIA report Falling Through the Net, which documented a 20-percentage-point gap in computer ownership between high- and low-income households-without yet centering on technology.
One Economy Corporation: Bridging the Digital Divide
In 2000, Ramsey founded One Economy Corporation, a non-profit organization with the mission to expand broadband services to low-income communities, both domestically and internationally. The organization aimed to connect low-income people to the economic mainstream by bringing broadband into their homes, producing public-purpose media, and training and employing youth to enhance communities’ technological capacity. Its primary initiatives centered on expanding digital access and literacy in underserved communities.
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Under Ramsey's leadership, One Economy grew from a small operation in a basement to a global organization with a presence on four continents. Since 2000, One Economy has helped bring broadband access into the homes of over 300,000 low-income Americans. The organization also created a unique Internet channel with content on healthy living, education, and finding a job. In 2006, Ramsey recruited then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain to co-chair the channel’s launch.
Ramsey's vision extended beyond simply providing access to technology. He emphasized the importance of relevant applications and content to ensure that the Internet was a valuable tool for low-income individuals. For example, One Economy developed easy-to-use online applications for programs such as unemployment insurance and TANF, helping people access social benefits and understand the technology. Ramsey maintains that broadband access serves as a foundational driver of economic opportunity, particularly by enabling home-based connectivity for low-income households to pursue education, job training, and financial services.
At the state level, One Economy encountered operational hurdles in managing a grant from the California Emerging Technology Fund.
TechNet: Connecting Technology and Policy
Ramsey served as President and Chief Executive Officer of TechNet, a bipartisan organization whose membership includes CEOs from the nation’s largest technology companies. In this role, he sought to connect the technology industry’s priorities with action in Congress and with the broader public debate about unemployment and the environment.
Ramsey aimed to create a new division within TechNet that would experiment with job training and creation programs, which he could then take to Capitol Hill to advocate for legislative changes. He also addressed challenges such as expanding the number of visas available for highly skilled foreign workers and promoting climate change legislation. Ramsey also pressed Congress to make permanent the corporate research and development tax credit, which is routinely reauthorized on an annual basis.
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CENTRI Capital: Impact Investing for Sustainable Communities
Since December 2019, Ramsey has been the CEO of CENTRI Capital, an organization based in Washington, D.C., that utilizes data, capital, and technology to achieve outcomes and impact. CENTRI Capital is an impact asset management firm focused on investments in sustainable, affordable housing. He was also founder and served as CEO of One Economy Corporation, a nonprofit organization providing internet service to the homes of low-income individuals and also served as President and COO of Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit, and chairman of Habitat for Humanity International.
Ramsey's work with CENTRI Capital reflects his ongoing commitment to leveraging investment and innovation to create sustainable and equitable communities.
Public Commentary and Advocacy
Ramsey's public commentary frequently underscores the transformative potential of technology in bridging socioeconomic gaps, particularly through "digital opportunity" rather than merely addressing a "digital divide." In a 2016 interview, he argued for reframing access as an empowerment mechanism, stating, "What I want to do is make sure that the revolution of inter-connectivity does not leave behind low-income people or people of color…" A recurring motif in his interviews and letters is the strategic deployment of technology-and by extension, capital-for tangible community upliftment, emphasizing education, health, and financial literacy. Ramsey's remarks on youth empowerment stress entrepreneurial mindsets alongside technical skills, evolving from non-profit initiatives to hybrid investment strategies.
In contrast to reliance on unregulated market forces, which Ramsey implies inadequately serve rural and low-income areas-where approximately 25 million Americans lacked home broadband in 2019- he endorses public-private partnerships to subsidize infrastructure and adoption. Ramsey critiques systemic barriers such as geography, class, and cultural disconnects that hinder adoption, advocating a framework of "digital advancement" that emphasizes user-centered innovation and sustained investment to generate economic returns.
Author and Thought Leader
Ramsey is also an author and thought leader, contributing to the discourse on non-profit management and decision-making. He co-authored ManagingNonprofits.org: Dynamic Management for the Digital Age with Ben Hecht, published by John Wiley & Sons in October 2001. In 2023, Ramsey authored The Tyranny of False Choices: A Guide to Authentic Decision-Making, published by Forbes Books.
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Board Memberships and Affiliations
Ramsey has served on numerous boards, including the Schnitzer Investment Corporation, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and the Washington Jesuit Academy, where he is vice-chairman. He was also chairman of the NAACPs Futures Commission and served on the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.
