Maribel Martínez

Maribel Martínez is a Queer Chicana P'urhépecha brainiac, storyteller and dream warrior. She received her BA in Political Science and Sociology and an MA in Applied Anthropology. She has worked in the non-profit sector addressing issues of health care access, education reform, mental health services, and neighborhood safety measures. Together with local leaders and parents, she has worked to open two new schools in East San José. When she returned to higher education for her graduate degree, she became the founding director of the César E. Chávez Community Action Center at San José State University promoting community service, leadership, and transformative learning. Selected as a California Emerging Leaders of Color in the field of service-learning by California Campus Compact, her work has continued to produce innovative methods for unpacking critical social issues, exploring diversity and building resilience. As a founding member of La Peña's Hybrid Performance Experiment Ensemble, she co-wrote and performed in the full-length play 2012: The Time of No Time and in multiple pieces on a moving BART train. Her performance background has lent itself to community development and cultural activism projects such as the productions of Somos Mayfairs' annual community Pastorela and the Multicultural Artists Guild's Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda Festival, whose works are used to inform the community of rich cultural heritage and examine current political climates. She is the founder of The Queerceañera Project SJ, a Latinx LGBTQ2S community organization. Currently, Maribel is the founding director of The County of Santa Clara, Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the first office of its kind in the United States.