Henry A. J. Ramos (Political Economy of Industrial Societies '80; J.D. '90) is a senior fellow at The New School Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. He is also a past author, editor, and project consultant at Arte Público Press, based at the University of Houston. Previously, Ramos has served as a leading member of various public interest governing and advisory boards, including those of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, of which he is formerly the board chair; the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, of which he is the founding editor; the Women’s Foundation of California, the Romare Bearden Foundation, and the California Community College System.
Liza Wachter (English '81) is president, partner, and director of film and television for Spiegel and Grau, an independent publishing house launched in 2020. Previously, Ms. Wachter co-founded RWSG, a premier book-to-film agency that specialized in the representation of dramatic rights. She has previously served on the board of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), the University of Southern California Law School Board of Councilors, and as a trustee on the UC Berkeley Foundation Board.
College of Letters & Science alums Henry A. J. Ramos and Liza Wachter met long before serving as L&S Advisory Board members—first, they were childhood friends.
Ramos and Wachter originally met during their senior year at West Los Angeles University High School. “We were 17-year-olds and became quick friends owing to our common passions for good literature, music, and sports,” said Ramos. Both were dedicated students and athletes—Wachter was a volleyball player and Ramos played basketball. Wachter confided, “I was excited when we became friends because Henry was famous in our high school for spearheading a community art project for our school campus. I was so impressed! Henry’s an amazing artist to this day.”
In the late 1970s, Ramos and Wachter went on to attend UC Berkeley. Despite pursuing different academic paths, their friendship stayed intact as they both grew as students. Wachter recalls her undergraduate years as being particularly transformative in her life. “I think some of my fondest memories involve being part of the Honors Cohort in English during my senior year,” she said. “We met weekly with Professor Walter Michaels, and I felt privileged to work alongside some of the most gifted, talented, accomplished people I’d ever met up to that point.”
Ramos agreed, sharing, “I most profoundly remember being at Faculty Glade and serving as the 1980 student graduation speaker for my group major in Political Economy of Industrial Societies.” Ramos was joined by influential scholars and luminaries, including then-Associate Dean of Haas School of Business, Edwin Epstein; former presidential chief economist Laura D’Andrea Tyson, present-day Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School at the Haas School of Business; and then-California Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy. “It was a day I’ll always remember,” said Ramos.
Following their years at UC Berkeley, both Ramos and Wachter migrated to the East Coast to work and study. They remained in touch, even sharing an apartment in New York City at one point during their respective early careers. Back then, Wachter was an aspiring attorney at the prestigious global law firm Shearman & Sterling, and Ramos was working on the program staff at Ford Foundation. “We rarely saw one another due to our busy schedules, but we remained close pals throughout,” said Ramos.
Today, both are incredibly active in supporting non-profit organizations, lending their expertise and energy to causes they believe in. In addition to serving on the Letters & Science Advisory Board, Wachter serves on the boards of the Human Rights Watch California Committee and The Paris Review, the quarterly literary magazine founded by George Plimpton in 1953. Wachter shared, “I first started reading copies of The Paris Review at Northside Books, where I would stop sometimes when I lived on the North side of [UC Berkeley's] campus, so it’s exciting for me to be part of this storied literary journal.” Likewise, Ramos has been engaged in serving core passions including art, economy, education, justice, and the Common Good. “I take it as an essential social responsibility to give back more than I take in life,” said Ramos, reflecting on his mission to help society and institutions become more inclusive, more responsive, and more effective.
Staying connected to other UC Berkeley alums is another pastime both share. “Over the years, I have remained in close contact with a handful of friends and fellow classmates from my undergraduate days at UC Berkeley, Liza being foremost in this crowd,” said Ramos. “I’m also in close contact with many Berkeley graduates,” agreed Wachter. “In addition to Henry, I have a core group of close Berkeley grad girlfriends: Vicki Iovine, Kimberly Brooks, Susanna Hoffs, and Laura Wasser. We call ourselves ‘The Women of Cal,’ and together we’ve organized a number of Cal alumni gatherings over the years.” Added Ramos, “We remain connected in large part because of our shared, formative journeys as UC Berkeley undergraduates, and the core values of public leadership and service that define so much of the Berkeley educational experience.”
