From 2001-2004, Ramaley was Assistant Director of Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR) at The National Science Foundation (NSF). The EHR Directorate is responsible for the health and continued vitality of the Nation's science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, and for providing leadership in the effort to improve education in these fields. Prior to joining NSF, Ramaley was president of The University of Vermont (UVM) and professor of biology. In addition, before coming to UVM, she was president and professor of biology at Portland State University in Portland, Ore. for seven years.

Under her leadership, UVM became a member of the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities that explored the role of research universities in the 21st century. The university established new partnerships in the state that support educational reform, economic and community development, and opportunities for Vermonters across the state. The most significant of these partnerships is the Vermont Public Education Partnership (VPEP), an alliance of the Vermont Department of Education, UVM, and the Vermont State Colleges. In Vt., Ramaley was the Director of the Vermont Business Roundtable; a member of the Human Resources Investment Council (HRIC); a member of the Vermont Commission on Higher Education Funding; a member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors; and a member of the Vermont Quality Council Board of Advisors and Co-Chair of the Vermont Campus Compact.

Ramaley has a special interest in higher-education reform and has played a significant role in designing regional alliances to promote educational cooperation. She also has contributed to national discussions about the changing nature of work and the workforce. She also plays a national role in the exploration of civic responsibility and the role of higher education in promoting good citizenship, and has published extensively on educational reform, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, and the leadership of organizational change. She is the author of 35 papers and book chapters on issues in higher education, including civic responsibility, higher education and the public good, science and mathematics education and organizational change.