An MBA Beyond the Boardroom: A Path to Public Leadership

For Teo Ramirez, business and government have never existed as separate paths. Instead, they have always been connected by a single question: how can leadership create meaningful impact in a community?

Long before enrolling in Portland State University’s MBA program, Ramirez was building that intersection. As a student leader, nonprofit partner, business intern, city staff member, and youth mentor, he consistently sought roles that allowed him to connect economic opportunity with civic responsibility.

“I’ve always been interested in both. I really like local government, and I have this passionate interest in business. I see the impact of local government and am fascinated with business and the interconnectedness of them both.”

This spring, Ramirez will graduate from PSU’s MBA program while simultaneously launching his campaign for Gresham City Council. His journey reflects a growing reality for modern business education. An MBA is not only preparation for corporate leadership. It can also be a foundation for public service.

Early Lessons in Purpose and Community

Ramirez’s interest in leadership began in high school. As a first-generation college student, even attending college felt like uncharted territory.

“I was the first person in my family to graduate from college or even attend.”

Through College Possible, he gained access to higher education and new opportunities. One pivotal experience was attending Young Entrepreneur Business Week, now known as the Oregon Business Academy, where he and his team developed a product and won first place for their pitch.

“That was my first introduction to business. I was like, I actually kind of like this and I’m kind of good at this.”

At the same time, he joined Gresham’s Youth Advisory Council, where he began to understand the impact of local government.

“It affects people’s everyday life. The change that you make at the local level can directly impact someone’s day-to-day life.”

Those two worlds, entrepreneurship and civic leadership, began to merge.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in social entrepreneurship, a program centered on aligning profit with purpose. The philosophy resonated deeply with him. Businesses exist within communities and carry responsibility alongside profit.

“It’s really all about connecting purpose and profit and understanding that as a business, you’re part of the community.”

Building Experience Across Sectors

After graduating in 2021, Ramirez gained experience across industries. A yearlong rotational internship at Dutch Bros headquarters allowed him to work with the social impact, customer experience, public relations, and social engagement teams. He wrote press releases, coordinated news interviews, collaborated on giveback day initiatives, and resolved escalated customer experience tickets.

Later, he managed parking operations across multiple locations, gaining hands-on experience in operations and account management. The role strengthened his leadership skills, but it also clarified what truly motivated him. He realized he wanted work that felt directly connected to people and community.

That clarity ultimately led him back to the City of Gresham, where he stepped into the role of Community Engagement Coordinator.

In that role, he focused on building relationships with community-based organizations (CBO) including nonprofits, schools, and churches. He relaunched the city’s volunteer program as Volunteer Gresham, transforming it from a static listserv into an interactive online platform and changed the program model to include featuring CBO volunteer opportunities.

When asked about pivoting the program model, Ramirez said, “It doesn’t matter if people are volunteering with the city or in the city, it all goes back to a spirit of service that ensures our community thrives. That change allowed the city, our partners, and eager volunteers to create this centralized hub, Volunteer Gresham, making it easier than ever to serve as a volunteer in Gresham.”

He also returned to the Youth Advisory Council, this time as staff advisor. Under his leadership, the program’s budget grew from zero dollars to more than 11 thousand dollars in two years. He helped secure a grant that allowed four students to attend the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, DC, three of whom had never been on a plane before. After returning from D.C. these youth worked on The Peace Projects Conceptual Plan that is a service model for youth-led violence prevention workshops.

Gresham’s YAC also relaunched the Gresham Reads Program that offers free books to youth at Little Free Libraries located in Gresham Parks. This initiative brought together partnerships with Multnomah County Library, Rockwood Common, and Pages Past Perimeters that does international literacy work.

For Ramirez, youth engagement is not symbolic.

“Youth aren’t the leaders of tomorrow. They’re the leaders of today. By creating more opportunities for them to develop their leadership skills and a heart for service will only benefit our community for generations to come.”

Choosing an MBA Intentionally

When Ramirez considered graduate school, he debated between a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). While an MPA aligned directly with government work, he ultimately chose the MBA route with intention.

“I feel like an MBA will provide me the versatility I'm looking for. I already have professional experience in local government. I really wanted to come with a different mindset and skill set having the business background that will help me deliver better results as a local government employee and lead with more vision and strategy as an elected official.”

At PSU, the MBA curriculum strengthened his foundation in finance, strategy, operations, and organizational leadership. Courses pushed him to think beyond immediate program outcomes and toward long-term sustainability and measurable impact. The in-person cohort model also broadened his perspective, exposing him to classmates from backgrounds in engineering, consulting, finance, supply chain, healthcare, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. Their experiences challenged his assumptions and expanded how he thinks about leadership across sectors.

Bringing Business Thinking into Government

Ramirez now applies business frameworks to public sector challenges including stakeholder analysis, long-term strategy models, and organizational assessments.

“The decisions that we make impact everyone in the community, business owners, nonprofits, families, and schools.”

The MBA has strengthened his financial literacy as well.

“Before, I would get monthly profit and loss statements at work and piecemeal my way through the story they were telling me. Now I look at a balance sheet and see an ecosystem and the impact of every decision, so I can really evaluate what the story is and if it aligns with our goals and objectives.”

That financial lens matters in public office, where resources come from taxpayers.

“If we’re not being good stewards of tax dollars, when all communities are already financially struggling, then trust will evaporate and it will be hard to get anything done. But when we are good stewards of those resources our community will trust us when we say a levy, bond, or fee is needed to maintain current service levels or increase the quality of our public services. Trust can only be earned by being responsive, transparent, and accountable to our community. Perhaps most importantly, the MBA has sharpened his discernment and ability to ask better questions.

“I know how to ask good questions now. I might not know every subject matter exceptionally well, but I can understand if it’s being approached and presented in the right way. It helps me hold people accountable and ensure the information or recommendations being presented are reliable.”

Running a Campaign Like a Business Professional

As Ramirez prepares to graduate in June 2026, he is also preparing to formally launch his campaign for Gresham City Council.

“When I win this election, it will be because of first and foremost, the trust of Gresham voters, and then the dedication, preparation, and project management of my campaign team.”

He began attending candidate trainings more than a year before the election cycle, secured early endorsements, and built a community-focused campaign infrastructure. He approaches this campaign like he would any other project, by building a great team. He has five amazing colleagues and friends on his “kitchen cabinet” that are volunteering their expertise and time to manage volunteers, fundraise, build community coalitions, create multimedia assets, and plan events.

An MBA Beyond the Boardroom

For Ramirez, the MBA has never been about climbing a corporate ladder. It has been about expanding his capacity to lead responsibly.

The degree has given him a stronger command of finance, strategy, and organizational leadership. But more importantly, it has strengthened his confidence in navigating complex decisions. Whether reviewing a budget, evaluating a policy proposal, or building a campaign plan, he now approaches challenges with structure, discipline, and long-term thinking.

Business education, in his view, is not confined to private industry. The same tools that guide sustainable companies can strengthen public institutions. Strategic planning, financial accountability, and stakeholder engagement are just as critical in city hall as they are in a boardroom.

As he prepares to graduate and step further into public leadership, Ramirez carries forward more than a degree. He carries a spirit that centers responsibility, impact, and community trust.

Ready to lead your community and create meaningful public impact? Learn more about The Portland MBA Program.