Jake Martinez

Jake Martinez is the Deputy Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Education Policy Center, where he leads the programmatic visioning and high-level management of major education initiatives that tackle civil rights and civil liberties challenges in schools and other institutions that serve young people. At the NYCLU, he develops and manages an issue-area portfolio, which includes the rights of LGBTQ+ students, bullying and harassment in schools, police in schools and school discipline, environmental justice, and school governance issues. He also oversees the organization’s statewide youth engagement efforts, including the Teen Activist Project, the NYCLU’s marquee youth organizing program, with more than 150 members across New York State.

Martinez has an extensive background in community organizing, social justice and program management. Prior to joining the NYCLU, Martinez held the role of Education & Youth Programs Associate at GLSEN from 2014-2016, where he collaborated with the Director of Education & Youth Programs to strategically design, implement and manage several GLSEN campaigns and programs that advocate for safer schools for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. He also worked at the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties from 2012-2014 as the Special Projects Associate where he was responsible for major event planning, collaborating with San Diego LGBT community partners and being the lead staff liaison to the ACLU of California leadership team.

Martinez holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Sociology and Psychology from Arizona State University and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Family and Human Development, also from Arizona State University.