Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez, Jr. '79

Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez, Jr. is a native of Houston, Texas and a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Texas Aggie Band in the Corps of Cadets. He received his commission in the United States Army Field Artillery from Texas A&M in 1979 as a Distinguished Military Graduate. General Ramirez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Texas A&M (1979); a Master’s Degree in Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri (1993); and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (2000). 

During his 31 years of military service General Ramirez commanded soldiers around the world from the platoon and battery level up to battalion, brigade and division level, and served in leadership positions in various joint and operational commands. He was the Deputy Chief of Staff for United States Central Command during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and served as the Deputy Division Commander for the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea. His most recent assignment was as Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy, United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. 

 General Ramirez recently retired from Texas A&M University as the Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA), a position he held from 2021-2025, overseeing a student body of over 76,000 students. Prior to serving as the VPSA, General Ramirez served as the 45th Commandant of Cadets at Texas A&M from 2010-2021. As the Commandant, General Ramirez oversaw the largest collegiate Corps of Cadets outside of the three military academies. Under his leadership, the Corps of Cadets experienced the largest growth it has seen since the early 1970s, increasing in size from 1800 cadets to over 2550 cadets in just 7 years. In addition, the overall cumulative Corps GPA increased from an overall 2.6 to a 3.2. Under his tenure, the Corps of Cadets also provided the largest number of officers commissioned into the Armed Forces from Texas A&M since the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. 

General Ramirez is an active member in the local community, serving on numerous boards, including the Boys & Girls Club of the Brazos Valley, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas, Heart of Texas American Red Cross, Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, and the Bryan - College Station Chamber of Commerce.