Dr. B Judith Martínez
Dr. B Judith Martínez
Dr. B. Judith Martínez-García is from Monterrey, Mexico. She has a background in Secondary Education from the Normal School of Monterrey and a Law Degree from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. Dr. Martínez earned a Masters in the Arts of Teaching from Missouri State University with an emphasis in French and Spanish. Judith holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Arkansas, emphasizing Hispanic Studies. She is also a Certified Diversity Professional, (CDP) by DELA, a Certified Moral Courage Mentor, and a Certified CIMER Mentor. She recently completed her Public Service and Leadership Certificate from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Dr. Martínez has been at Missouri State University since the fall of 2002. Part of her charge included the development of the Hispanic Initiative Program (HIP) for the College of Education. She has provided field experiences in diverse settings for pre-service teachers and coordinated programs with area public schools, parents, and various communities to identify and recruit students from diverse backgrounds for Missouri State University. Judith also co-founded the STEP (Student Transition Education Program), and the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) at Missouri State University to mentor and develop Latino Students on Campus.
Dr. Martínez has taught in K-12 settings in Mexico at the American School Foundation of Monterrey and the College Level at the Normal School of Monterrey. She taught at Sparta R-III District and Central High School in Springfield, Mo. She teaches Language, Culture, and Literature courses as a tenured Professor in the College of Arts and Letters. She has been recognized with the Board of Governors Award, the Excellence in Teaching Lawrence Teaching Award, and the Missouri State University Research Award. Her research interest focuses on the analysis of representations of violence in contemporary Latin American Literature and Culture such as poverty, narco-narrative, patriarchy, and forced migration. She is a recognized author for multiple double-blind review articles, journals, and book chapters on such topics.
She is also the Director of the Bear Bridge Mentoring Program for Faculty at MSU and runs other programs for faculty development. She is also a Co-Principal Investigator of the 4-million-dollar CODERS Grant for rural teachers in Missouri. She serves in a wide variety of committees on campus such as the University Senate.
In the community, Judith is a member of the Southeast Rotarian Club, the Junior League of Springfield, and she serves on the Leadership Springfield Board. She is also part of the board of Minorities for Business Association in Missouri. She participates in the Missouri Leadership Challenge 2024 for females and serves in the A Girl Like Me Network. Judith is often invited to be a speaker on several topics, and she enjoys lending her time to advocate for others. Judith is the co-owner and partner of the International Consulting Firm Pratt-Martínez where she enjoys applying multiple disciplines and skills to assist clients seeking justice, education, and awareness.
She has a wonderful and supportive husband, Chuy García, who is a Chef and they have been together for 21 years. They have two brilliant children, one in Grinnell College, Iowa, and the other is a Sophomore at Central High School. In her free time, Judith practices hot yoga, reads, reads, and reads, and works out every morning at the Y.