Dr. Nydia Martinez will be the next executive director of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, the organization’s board of directors announced in a press release Monday. Martinez will succeed Baltazar de Anda Santana, who has stepped down after 12 years of service to the organization.
“I am thrilled to join the Latino Academy of Workforce Development as Executive Director. I am drawn to its mission of strengthening the diverse Latino immigrant community through linguistic and culturally competent adult education to transform the lives of individuals and families by offering opportunities for social and economic mobility,” Martinez said in a statement. “This resonates with me because this is my story and my family’s story when we moved to the United States.”
“The Latino Academy is at a critical juncture, with tremendous opportunities to grow and increase its impact,” board president Shiva Bidar-Sielaff said in a statement. “Dr. Martinez’s entire career has been one of education, empowerment, and unwavering commitment to the Latino community. We are so excited about the organization’s future under Dr. Martinez’s leadership.”
Martinez has over 10 years of leadership experience in post-secondary education and community engagement in the U.S. and Mexico. Martinez comes to the Latino Academy from Spokane, Washington, where she was Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Eastern Washington University. While at Eastern Washington University, Martinez also served as Director of Chicano (Latino/a/x) Studies Program; as Academic Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program; and as Co-Chair of the university’s Presidential Hispanic Advisory Council.
Martinez also served as Vice President on the Board of Directors of Nuestras Raíces of Spokane, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering Spokane’s Latino community and promoting a more equitable economy.
Martinez earned her doctoral degree in History from the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Baltazar de Anda Santana began his tenure with the Latino Academy 12 years ago when it was a program of the Vera Court Neighborhood Center. In 2022, he led the Latino Academy to its long-sought goal of becoming an independent nonprofit organization. In 2023, in recognition of the success of the Latino Academy’s bilingual Commercial Driver’s License training program, the organizati n received a $2 million federal grant to fund the program’s expansion.
“I feel the Latino Academy has accomplished a lot during the last 12 years,” he said in a statement. “Because the Latino Academy is in a great place, I believe this is the right time for me to step down and allow for new leadership to continue the great work of the organization.”
“We are grateful to Baltazar for his 12 years of combined service to the Latino Academy,” Bidar said in a statement. “When he first joined the organization, it was an initiative of a parent organization and operated with a limited budget and as such, had a limited ability to impact the community. Under Baltazar’s leadership, it is now a standalone organization, running numerous training programs, serving an ever-growing number of students and with a multimillion-dollar annual budget.”
Martinez will start as executive director of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development on July 29.
