Around Queens Community, Culture, and Main Street with Leslie Ramos ep 003

Around Queens: Community, Culture, and Main Street with Leslie A. Ramos In this episode of Around Queens, I sit down with Leslie A. Ramos, Executive Director of the 82nd Street Partnership in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. Leslie has built a career at the intersection of policy, community, and economic development. From her early days working in social services to leadership roles at the NYC Office of Management and Budget, Housing Preservation & Development, and the Mayor’s Office for Industrial & Manufacturing Businesses, her path has always centered on one idea: representation matters. Under her leadership, the 82nd Street Partnership has become internationally recognized for culturally sensitive programming, creative placemaking, and strategies that go beyond beautification to truly activate Main Streets. For Leslie, supporting commercial districts isn’t just about economics. It’s about connection, belonging, and opportunity, especially for immigrant and minority-owned small businesses. We talk about: The career moment that changed her direction Why Main Streets are once again becoming the heart of communities How the arts can be an economic engine The real economic impact of federal immigration policy on Queens neighborhoods What it takes to translate community needs into real policy This conversation blends lifestyle, leadership, and the real forces shaping Jackson Heights today. If someone wanted to experience Queens the way Leslie does—through culture, commerce, and community—you’ll hear exactly where she’d send them. Around Queens is a long-form interview series that explores how people build meaning, systems, and community when the old rules stop working. Each episode centers on a single conversation with a Queens-based builder, creator, or organizer—not to spotlight titles or résumés, but to understand the moments that changed their direction and the values shaping what they’re building now. The show looks beyond charity and success narratives to examine care as design, dignity as infrastructure, and quality of life as a measure of progress. While rooted in Queens, these stories speak to a global audience navigating uncertainty, policy shifts, economic pressure, and the search for what actually matters. Hosted by Luchia Dragosh, Around Queens treats the borough as a lens—not a limit—for understanding how people respond when institutions fall short and humans step in. qptv.org