Annie Ramniceanu ’78, a former chef, has for the past eight years worked for Vermont’s Corrections Department as the Director of Addictions and Mental Health Systems, a gubernatorial appointment. She attended Amherst College and Columbia University, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s in sociology. Annie also holds a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Vermont. She lives in Duxbury, Vermont.
*Published in the 2023 Alumnae Bulletin
Annie Ramniceanu ’78 remembers being a keenly observant and empathetic child. "I noticed that people existed on a continuum. They had to do different things to take care of themselves. They had different struggles."
An internship while in Upper School with the Vera Institute of Justice, which exposed her to the Bronx Criminal Court and Rikers Island, deepened this perspective, while igniting what would become a cherished vocation. “That experience opened my eyes,” said Annie. “I realized that for many people there was no justice in the criminal justice system.”
She enrolled at Amherst College, ultimately transferring to Columbia University to finish her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Despite her interest in human behavior and improving the lives of others, Annie didn’t initially pursue a position in what are known as the helping professions. “After college, I was focused on addressing my own initial needs,” she said, “and I leaned into another early passion and family interest — food.”
A lengthy first career as a chef, during which time she was part of the founding team behind the well-known Great Performances catering company, left Annie feeling burned out and rudderless. She was ready for a change. After extensive soul-searching, she relocated to Vermont where, at age 38, she decided to go back to school to pursue a master’s degree in counseling.
Shortly after graduating from the University of Vermont, Annie joined both the UVM graduate faculty, teaching in the program she had just completed, and the faculty of the University of Vermont Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and became the clinical director of a non-profit organization in Burlington that served homeless, runaway and foster-care youth. “Many were experiencing trauma, mental health issues and substance abuse,” she said. Before long, Annie had settled into her second career, one she finds deeply meaningful.
“It’s been a long journey of self-discovery, but I found my calling,” she said. “It’s a privilege to help vulnerable people. There is so much gratitude in being of service to others.”
Annie’s exemplary work attracted the attention of leaders in the Vermont state government, eventually opening the door to her inaugural role as Pretrial Service Director for the State of Vermont, appointed by then-Governor Peter Shumlin. Once her duties were completed, the Shumlin Administration asked her to remain in state government to create a scope of work.
Assessing what was being done by the Vermont Department of Corrections, Annie recognized a gap and an opportunity to improve the quality of care in the Vermont prison system. As a result, she developed the role of Director of Addictions and Mental Health Systems. She was re-appointed to this position and is proud to be one of the 58 people in the United States carceral system to serve in this capacity.
In her capable hands, Annie functions as a respected thought leader, savvy policy expert and strategic troubleshooter. For a week every month, she visits Vermont’s six prisons (five for men, one for women) to oversee mental-health and substance-use treatment and peer support services for an annual population that ranges between to 5,000 to 6,000 incarcerated individuals, who, she noted, are part of the only group in the country constitutionally protected to receive state-funded healthcare.
“There is no typical day,” Annie said. “Like a moth to a flame, I’m pivoting constantly.”
Among Annie’s overarching goals are to reinforce the importance of enrichment and empowerment. “Even though incarcerated people haven’t been given access to positive determinants, they have still survived. They have resilience,” she said, adding that “lifelong resilience made me who I am.”
She is particularly proud of a peer support program she developed called “Open Ears,” which pairs selected incarcerated individuals (called “coaches”) with peers who are wrestling with a wide array of substance use, suicidality, mental health and other issues unique to carceral settings, including hospice companionship for those who are dying. “The coaches are trained to listen,” she said, as well as to offer compassion and encouragement.
Annie also shared another incredible point of pride: Vermont was the only state in the nation where no one in the criminal justice system, officers or the incarcerated, died from Covid. There were strict measures in places for isolation and quarantine, she explained.
In her eight years in this exhilarating job, Annie has seen it all, and then some. “The amount of pain, suffering and horror I witness and absorb every day is another aspect of the work and can be extraordinarily difficult,” she said. Thus, keeping her mind and body as healthy as possible remains a top priority.
An avid skier, Annie also loves horseback riding, hiking, gardening, reading and spending time with close-knit girlfriends, including Electra McDowell Lang ’78, her best friend since Lower School at Chapin.
Attending her joyful 45 year Reunion in 2023 underscored what Annie already knew: “I would absolutely not be who I am without Chapin,” she exclaimed. “Single-sex education is so important. Chapin is where I learned to be a leader, where I learned that I and all women had value. It’s where I learned to speak up.”
When asked about her favorite teachers, she rattled off a list that included Mrs. Bloom, Miss Proffitt, Mrs. Blankenship, Miss Cohen, Miss Henderson and Miss Winthrop. As well, Mrs. Berendsen holds a special place in her memories. As Annie navigated challenges at home, “Mrs. B. reminded me of my intelligence. She reminded me that I mattered, and she held me accountable.”
For students or alums who might be curious about a career in counseling, social work or criminal justice, Annie offered these words of wisdom: “You have to find your passion. You have to find your truth,” she said. “Bring every ounce of your Chapin opportunities to change the world.”