Dr. Martínez is an Agronomist and Agricultural Economist. Dr. Martínez has over 30 years of experience working with farmers, farmworkers, and disabled farmers in the Southeast Region of the US. Dr. Martínez founded the NC AgrAbility Project in 1994 and served as the first Hispanic Advisory to the NC Governor from 1997 to 2004, supporting policy changes in several areas, including agricultural outreach and education. Dr. Martínez’s areas of professional interest include the study of people’s beliefs, attitudes, and values as the foundation to describe and explain organizational culture; integrating work from adult learning and development to plan, implement, and evaluate adult education and early childhood education programs; and leadership development in diverse and immigrant communities