Introducing Marcos Martinez

TeamChild Board and Staff are excited to announce that we have selected Marcos Martinez as our new Executive Director! Marcos was selected following an extensive national and local search, using a collaborative hiring process led by Diversity Recruiters. The process involved two thirds of our staff, board members, community partners, legal partners, and two former TeamChild clients.

Marcos joins our team and brings with him a history of leadership as an Executive Director of two Seattle-based nonprofit organizations, and experience with community organizing, statewide policy development, and advocacy with and on behalf of marginalized groups. We are excited by his personal alignment with the mission, vision, and culture of TeamChild. Please join us in welcoming this inspiring leader to our team as we collectively carry our work forward.

You will be hearing directly from Marcos in the weeks to come, but here are some highlights from his professional experience:

Strategic Leadership – Marcos has been in the Seattle area since 2007, when he began serving as the Executive Director at Entre Hermanos, creating financial stability and expanding programs for Latinos living with HIV. He also served for 5 years as the Executive Director at Casa Latina, doubling the budget, centering domestic workers and day laborers in policy advocacy, and making adjustments to support the community during the COVID pandemic.

Experience with Legal Organizations – As a long-time public policy advocate, Marcos has worked closely and collaboratively with attorneys, including during his time as board president of the Public Defenders Association. While leading Casa Latina, he and his team partnered closely with Legal Voice on policy that benefits domestic workers in Seattle and throughout Washington State.

Community and Youth Engagement – From our extensive conversations with Marcos – and with trusted community partners – it is clear that he operates with a growth mindset, constantly working and learning to ensure he remains accountable to the communities in which he is working. He has a passion for community-led social justice work and expressed great interest in TeamChild’s combination of direct services, for and with youth, and our work to impact the systems governing youth across the state. Community engagement was a part of Marcos’ life and work prior to arriving in Seattle; he was the Program Director at KUNM in Albuquerque NM where he increased community participation and engagement at the university-licensed public radio station and developed a Youth Radio program to foster youth leadership and civic engagement.

Please join us in welcoming Marcos and look forward to hearing more from him soon!