Professor Ventriss has previously taught at the Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California; the University of Oxford as a Visiting Scholar; Research Scientist, Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research, Johns Hopkins University; and as a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the Graduate Program in Public Policy and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.

He is an author and co-author of three books. His most recent book published in 2021 is titled Public Affairs and Democratic Ideals: Critical Perspectives in an Era of Political and Economic Uncertainty. He has published widely on such topics as economic development, environmental policy, policy ethics, policy design, and civic engagement in the policy process.

He has given invited lectures in England, Poland, Brazil, Russia, Italy, Mexico, and the Netherlands, among others. He has also been an invited participant to every prestigious Minnowbrook Conference at The Maxwell School, Syracuse University since 1988, which has traditionally included some of the leading scholars both in the United States and internationally in public affairs.