On November 21st 2024, Fresno State’s College of Health and Human Services hosted the 2024 Health and Human Services Hero Awards and recognized eight individuals who make a great difference in the Central Valley. Central Valley Health Policy Institute nominated Executive Director, Nayamin Martinez to recognize the tremendous work she has contributed to the Central Valley.
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Growing up in a small town in Mexico with her parents and younger brother, Nayamin Martinez’s father would tell her “I am not rich, all I can inherit to you is a good education”. He made good on his word and when Martinez was 19, she moved to Mexico City to pursue her dream of attending university.
Martinez received a scholarship to the prestigious Universidad Iberoamericana, where she became fascinated with the topic of immigration. She ended up writing her thesis on the topic of “Double Citizenship for Mexicans Abroad”, during which she interviewed her now-husband. This led to her earning her bachelor’s degree in international relations. In 1998, she was admitted to the Master of Sociology Program at the Instituto de Estudios Jose Maria Luis Mora, a highly selective research institute where her dissertation topic was on immigrants.
In 2000, Martinez became an immigrant herself when she and her husband moved to Fresno, California where he got a job teaching Chicano Studies at the local university. She began working at the nonprofit Binational Center for the Development of the Oaxacan Indigenous Communities (BCDOIC) designing projects that encouraged immigrants to increase their civic participation.
Then Martinez was tasked with creating and launching a health education project for the community, and she realized a public health degree would be beneficial. Fresno State was the obvious choice for her because the Master of Public Health Program was designed for working professionals. She went on to earn her master’s degree in 2009, graduating with summa cum laude honors.
After leaving BCDOIC, Martinez worked at the Madera Department of Public Health for a year, but realized that working within the government did not allow her to advocate for the systemic change that she felt was necessary. When she learned about the Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN), it seemed like the perfect platform to pursue the changes she had been envisioning. She became the executive director of the organization and has been making a difference in the immigrant and indigenous community ever since.
“I love my job,” Martinez said. “I believe it is a privilege to get paid to help immigrants and community members who are overburdened by pollution and social vulnerability. When I was living in Mexico City, I was working in the private sector for a transnational company, but I did not feel fulfilled, so I volunteered in the evenings at a human rights center. Now, at the CCEJN, I am fulfilling my passion to help the community!”
In her role, Martinez is responsible for the strategic placement of affordable air quality monitors throughout the San Joaquin Valley, the installation of air filters in the most underserved communities, and for educating and building capacity among social groups that are most vulnerable to environmental impacts and climate change. She works at the state and federal level and engages with scholars from around the state to ensure that public health is prioritized in decision-making on environmental matters.
Beyond her position at the CCEJN, Martinez is the board president of BCDOIC and serves in various advisory groups including the Environmental Justice Advisory group of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee of the UC Davis Environmental Health Science Core Center, and Californians for Pesticide Reform, among others. She credits her Fresno State degree with helping her make valuable connections with key local decision makers, executives and health care professionals who have been allies in her fight for environmental justice.
“Nayamin is a lifelong learner and also a proud alumna of the Health Policy Leadership program here at Fresno State,” said Dr. Emanuel Alcala, assistant director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute. “Her dedication to equity in the Central Valley is what makes her so deserving of being a College of Health and Human Services Hero.”
The 2024 Health and Human Services Hero Awards, which celebrates heroes from each of the seven departments, as well as centers and institutes within our college, will be held virtually this year. For more information on the event, contact Beth Wilkinson at bwilkinson@csufresno.edu.