Position, Organization/Company Business:
President, Ramex, Inc. (A manufacturing company in, New York, USA.

Non-Profit Organizations:
President, Indian Diaspora Council International (IDC)
Vice President, Queens Civic Congress (QCC), New York Chair, Community Advisory Council, NY Presbyterian Hospital/Queens (NYP/Q)
Executive Board Member, DSRIP of NY Presbyterian Hospital/Queens (NYP/Q)
Board Member, Center for Caribbean & Latin Amer. Studies, St John’s University (SJU/CLACS)
Financial Co-Chairman & Elder, First Presbyterian Church of Flushing, New York (FPC)
Recording Secretary & Board Member, Fresh Meadows Civic Association, New York (FMHCA)
Member, District 24 South Asian Advisory Panel (SAAP)
Member, Queens Census 2020 Complete Count Committee (QCCC)
Past President, GOPIO International (2011-2016)

Country of Birth: Guyana
Citizenship: USA
Education: BS(EE), MS(EE) – Polytechnic University, New York, USA Residence: 69-70 184th Street, Fresh Meadows, New York 11365 USA Contact: 1-718-969-8206 (Home) +1-917-519-5783 (Mobile)
Email: AshookRamsaran@gmail.com

Born in Corentyne, Guyana (formerly British Guiana), Ashook Kumar Ramsaran is third generation of Indian immigrant ancestors who came to Guyana as indentured laborers. His great grandfather Pooriya arrived in Guyana in 1853 aboard the ship Adelaide; his great grandmother Radhah arrived in 1860 aboard ship Colgrain. He attended Auchlyne Church of Scotland School and then Corentyne High School in Port Mourant, Berbice on a Booker Sugar Estates Scholarship. He worked briefly as a primary school teacher at Yakusari Primary School, followed by a brief stint at Ministry of Health in Georgetown and then magistrate’s courts at New Amsterdam and Whim Village on the Corentyne, Berbice in Guyana.

Ramsaran is married to Camille (formerly Camille Parvati Ramgadoo of Guyana) and immigrated in 1968 to the USA where he earned graduate engineering degrees in electrical engineering at Polytechnic University in New York. As an electronics engineer, he progressed rapidly to Vice President of Engineering in an international communications company before establishing Ramex, his family owned electronics manufacturing enterprise in New York. Ashook and Camille are parents of Arnold Mahendra and Gerald Rajendra, both married and residing in USA; grandparents of Jaden Ashook, age 14; Gavin Lakshman age 11.

In addition to his several other volunteer civic and community activities, Ramsaran serves on the board of New York’s St. John’s University’s Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies (SJU/CLACS) and collaborates with SJU and New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs on a continuing series of seminars and conferences on immigrant issues and experiences in New York City. Conference (1999): “Coping In America – Caribbean East Indians in the USA. Collaborated on Publication (1999): “Coping In America – Caribbean East Indians in the USA 2000-2008 Annual Collaboration with Mayor’s Office on Immigrant Affair (MOIA-NYC) 2000: “The Immigrant Experience in New York City” 2001: “Empowering our Immigrant Neighbors Part II: Agenda for Action: 2002: “Challenges & Opportunities Facing Immigrants of Indian Origin from Caribbean in the USA” 2003: “Coping in New York City: Shared Experiences of Immigrants in Adaptation & Assimilation” 2003-2016: Continuing series of conferences, symposia & summits on immigrants in USA.

Ramsaran was accorded a special recognition by St. John’s University in New York in 2007 and a scholarship for Diaspora studies was established in his name. He was also instrumental in the 2012 landmarking of 1713 colonial era Dutch New York Brinckerhoff cemetery in Queens, New York.

In addition to several high profile positions, Ramsaran is Director of UK based United Indian Television (UiTV); Co-Chairman, Indian Jewish Council (New York); Co-President, Friends of Brinckerhoff Colonial Cemetery (New York); Co-Chairman, Finance Committee, Elder & former President, Board of Trustees, First Presbyterian Church of Flushing (New York); and Exec. Advisor to Caribbean Network Enterprise (CNE).

Ramsaran serves annually as “Principal for the Day” in the New York Public School system beginning in 2000 and was honored as the “Outstanding Immigrant” by New York City Council in 2009 for his outstanding services and contributions as an immigrant in the USA. He was also the recipient of highly acclaimed 2010 “Asian Heritage Award” and Gandhi Peace Award 2014in New York. He is very active in his local New York community’s civic,
political and cultural groups, contributes generously to causes on behalf of the needy, and has written extensively on issues of interest and concern affecting people of Indian origin in the global Indian Diaspora. He is prominently
featured in the Global Indian 2011 publication of “Top 25 Most Influential Indians in North America” and several local, national, regional and international publications. He was honored in Canada (August 2011) at a ceremony with Ontario’s Premier Hon. Dalton McGinty, and in London, UK (November 2011) for “International Asian Leadership”. He is the recipient of many citations, awards, commendations and recognition nationally and
internationally.

Ramsaran collaborates extensively with India’s Government of India (formerly Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs (MOIA) and presently with Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) Department of the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) on global Indian Diaspora matters and the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) events. He was chairperson, speaker and/or panelist from PBD 2005 thru’ PBD2017. In June, 2012 at the invitation of the Organization of American States (OAS), the government of El Salvador and the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), Ramsaran made a presentation on “The Indian Diaspora, GOPIO’s Role in Connecting and Strengthening it”, and to Highlight Experiences and Lessons Learned from Diaspora-Government-Private Sector Partnerships for the Development of Human Capital”. He was a special presenter on “Lessons of the Indian Diaspora” at the Commonwealth Diaspora Symposium on November 12, 2012 in Birmingham, UK.

Ramsaran was instrumental in the very successful large scale global petition by GOPIO to the Government of India that resulted in a reversal of decision on excessive fees and procedures for surrender of Indian passports. He collaborated closely with and convinced the Government of India to construct and dedicate the Kolkata Memorial (on January 11, 2011 in Kolkata) based on his initiative, persistence and his words on the inscription in recognition
and remembrance of Indian indentured laborers sent to British colonies from 1834 thru’ 1920. In addition, Ramsaran’s initiatives to India’s then Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs (MOIA), encouragement and active support enabled the construction of Indian Arrival monuments to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Indian Arrival in Guyana, for which he wrote the inscription and dedicated the monuments on May 5, 2013, as well as the
169th anniversary of Indian Arrival in Trinidad, for which he also wrote the inscriptions and dedicated the monuments on May 30, 2014; initiated, developed and unveiled a monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of the abolition of Indian indentureship in Trinidad & Tobago (March 20, 2017).

Ramsaran proposed and obtained New York State Senate and Assembly recognition, proclamation and citation for Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary (2016); New York State Governor and New York State Assembly recognition and citations for the 100th anniversary commemoration of the abolition of Indian Indenturedship.

Ramsaran initiated a series of global commemoration events with international affiliates of the Indian Diaspora Council, supported by government of India and impacted countries, the centennial of the abolition of Indian Indenturedship culminating a tremendously successful world convention in Trinidad on March 17-20, 2017: Indian Diaspora World Convention 2017 on March 17-20, 2017 in Trinidad & Tobago with the theme: “Centennial of
Abolition of Indian Indenturedship: Challenges, Achievements and Charting New Frontiers”.

Working with various regional and international organizations spanning many years, Ramsaran actively engages series of regional and global initiatives to “engage, embrace and enhance” the global Indian Diaspora on the basis
of shared history and heritage, common interests, inter-ethnic relations, education and benefits of collaboration, economic engagement and issues of concern; to link diverse communities of Indian Diaspora, strengthen the bonds
and explore the benefits of collaboration.

For his many notable contributions, commitment and exemplary service to the global Indian diaspora, Ramsaran was accorded the Uttar Pradesh Ratna award (2016) in Agra, India and the prestigious Government of India’s
Pravasi Samman Award by the President of India (2011) in New Delhi, India.