Austin Ramirez, the chief executive officer of Waukesha-based Husco International Inc., has been named a 2016-’17 White House fellow.
Ramirez was one of 16 fellows named this week by the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. The fellows program was created in 1964 with the goal of giving American leaders “first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs.”
Fellows spend a year working as a full-time, paid fellow to senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries and other top ranking government officials. They participate in education programs, roundtable discussions and community service programs.
Ramirez has served as Husco CEO since 2011 and has been with the company since 2003. The company has 1,400 employees worldwide, including at locations in Waukesha and Whitewater. Husco designs and manufacturers hydraulic and electro-hydraulic controls for off-highway applications. It also has another business, Husco Automotive, that provides components for original equipment manufacturers like Ford Motor Co.
Prior to joining Husco, Ramirez was a consultant in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Co., specializing in corporate financing and industrial operations.
He’s also served as a director for the National Association of Manufacturers, Metropolitan Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. He was also a volunteer board member of the Milwaukee YMCA, United Performing Arts Fund and the Milwaukee chapter of Teach for America.
Ramirez has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Stanford University. He is a former member of the U.S national swimming team.
Gus Ramirez, the founder and chairman of Husco International, will serve as the interim CEO.
