President
East Los Angeles College
Marvin Martinez is the President of East Los Angeles College, one of the largest Hispanic serving institutions in the nation. Serving nearly 60,000 students annually, East Los Angeles College offers a breadth of programming allowing students to transfer to four-year universities, complete two-year liberal arts and career technical degrees and gain valuable career skills through the completion of short-term career technical certificates. In his role as President, Mr. Martinez oversees more than 1,300 employees and a budget of nearly $100 million. He is responsible for the college's building efforts, which include the completion of three new on-campus buildings and the development of a permanent offsite center in the City of South Gate. Mr. Martinez is an inspirational leader that guides the college in its pursuit of being the cultural center of the community and in ensuring that students are empowered to reach their educational goals.
In his first year as President of East Los Angeles College, Mr. Martinez significantly impacted the culture of the institution and led efforts to reinvest in a transfer culture. Partnering with California State University Los Angeles and Garfield High School, President Martinez helped lead the development of the GO East Los Angeles Project which guarantees transfer to students attending East Los Angeles College, and revolutionizes the higher education pipeline. He has also enhanced relationships with top universities, such as UCLA, greatly augmenting opportunities for East Los Angeles College students. President Martinez continues his student centered effort utilizing efficient and innovative programming, including improved first-year programs, student engagement through social media and enhanced community outreach.
Prior to arriving at East Los Angeles College, Mr. Martinez served as President of Los Angeles Harbor College from August 2010 through July 2013. In his role as college President at Los Angeles Harbor College, he was responsible for $444 million in bond construction, balancing the college budget in his first year as college President, and making significant gains in student success.
Marvin Martinez was named as the first Vice Chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) in January 2008. In his role as Vice Chancellor, he was responsible for providing leadership in the development and support of workforce development programs with all nine colleges in the district. During his tenure, LACCD raised more than
$20 million in economic and workforce developments grants, and emerged as one the top job training agency in Los Angeles.
Prior to his role as LACCD's Vice Chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development, Marvin Martinez worked as the Vice President of Planning and Development at Santa Monica College and Dean of Business and Industry. He began his community college career at Cerritos College in 1989 as the Director of Economic Development and Coordinator of the Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act.
President Martinez is a native of El Salvador. He immigrated to Brooklyn, New York and then moved to Long Beach, CA where he graduated from Long Beach Wilson High. He holds a Master of Arts in Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA. He is a father of four.
