Bruce Ross has been a Barnard staffer since 2009 and currently serves as Beyond Barnard’s Assistant to the Deans, working with the office’s leadership to support programs and initiatives. Before Barnard, he spent many years freelancing for Wall Street firms, but after the massive layoffs in 2008, he landed at Barnard and has thrived in the small and supportive community of the College.
Bruce, a working actor, has appeared in more than 30 films and more than a dozen stage plays. With the support of Beyond Barnard’s management, he took a month off in winter 2023 to star in a feature film by a queer Lithuanian director.
If you could speak to your college self, what advice would you give him?
I would say, “Go Boy!” I left college as an aware-but-not-out gay man. I came to New York with a few hundred dollars in my pocket and I made it work. Honestly, it took me time to find my feet, but I survived.
What’s important to you in life outside of work?
I live with my 37-year partner (now husband) Alfonso and our beloved dog Jasper in Chelsea in our Upstate New York farmhouse. Together, Alfonso and I have traveled to more than 30 countries, with a special love for Asia.