luz@engage2learn.org
Dr. Luz Martinez has been teaching and leading with a laser-focus on student academic and socio-emotional success. She also focuses on creating high performing teams, strong community involvement, a culture of care, and high academic expectations for all students.
Dr. Martinez, an English language learner and economically disadvantaged student, was the first of her family to graduate from college and prides herself on being a bilingual life-long learner. She believes that education helped her change her stars. She possesses an unyielding and relentless commitment to pay it forward and strives to help others achieve their goals through education.
In 1980, Dr. Martinez graduated from a gifted and talented magnet high school in her native Puerto Rico. In 1986, she began her educational career at Arizona State University as a Spanish instructor. Her professional experience includes over 30 years as an educator at the university and high school levels in the U.S. and abroad, as well as school board member and community volunteer. For the last 13 years, Dr. Martinez has served students in the roles of assistant principal and principal in economically disadvantaged and minority-serving public and private urban, suburban, and rural high schools. As principal of three different high schools, she successfully led turnaround and school improvement efforts, resulting in high levels of academic success for all students. While at West Oso High School in Corpus Christi, Dr. Martinez led turnaround efforts resulting in achieving successful accountability ratings within two years. While at Sunset High School in Dallas, she implemented a culture of high expectations and data-driven instruction, which resulted from zero, to four, to six academic distinctions in a three-year tenure.
Dr. Martinez’ most notable achievements and training include:
Dr. Martinez has earned, with academic distinctions: an Associate of Arts in Bilingual Secretary (1980), Bachelor of Arts in Spanish (1986), Master of Arts in Hispanic Literature (1993), Master of Education in Administration and Supervision (2001), and Doctor of Philosophy in Adult and Post-Secondary Education (2011). She holds Texas professional educator certifications for Superintendent, Principal, Spanish, and English as a Second Language. Dr. Martinez has been married for thirty years and is the proud parent of two adult children and two granddaughters.