Parents Died From Cancer, So San Ramon Man Fights Back

SAN RAMON, CA — A San Ramon father who lost both his parents to cancer has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the advocacy affiliate for the American Cancer Society, it was announced Friday.

As a member of the board, Jose Ramos will provide leadership and guidance for ACS CAN, which supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem, according to the organization.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACS CAN leverages volunteers across the country to educate elected officials on cancer-fighting policies that shape the outcome of local, state and federal legislation for cancer research, prevention and treatments.

A longtime ACS volunteer, Ramos has more than 14 years of leadership experience within the nonprofit sector, according to the organization. He served as ACS CAN California’s State Lead Ambassador in 2017 and 2018 before joining ACS CAN’s National Ambassador Team in 2019, and also served as chair of the Board of Directors for the California Division of ACS.

In 2019, Ramos received the American Cancer Society St. George National Award, an honor given to outstanding community volunteers in recognition of their distinguished service to ACS.

“Jose is passionate about advancing ACS CAN’s mission to encourage elected officials to increase funding for cancer research and pass cancer-fighting policies,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of ACS CAN. “His deep commitment to ACS CAN over many years has been instrumental and we will benefit greatly from Jose’s leadership on the Board as we work to eradicate this devasting disease.”

At the local level, Ramos testifies regularly in support of tobacco control measures, such as restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and menthol.

Since smoking was likely a contributing factor in his parents’ cancer diagnoses, Ramos works to educate the public and policymakers about the risks of tobacco use in hopes of helping prevent future generations from potential lifelong tobacco addiction.

Ramos' state and national efforts have included efforts to increase the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 and increasing cancer research funding at the National Institute of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Ramos currently is the ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Lead (ACT! Lead) for California’s Congressional District 15 represented by Congressman Eric Swalwell, guiding volunteer legislative advocates in the district.

Ramos is senior director of global customer acquisition for NortonLifeLock. Prior, he held senior marketing roles in a variety of industries. Ramos earned a dual bachelor of science degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering at the University of California at Davis, as well as an MBA degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.