A Journey in Legislation to Education Policy: Meet Crystal Martinez

Crystal Martinez currently serves as the Director of Federal Education Policy for the University of California (UC) System. She is responsible for providing legislative and regulatory guidance for the Office of the President which supports all ten University of California campuses. During her tenure, Crystal has secured $1.3 billion in federal pandemic assistance for UC's students and campuses as well as launched a national Double the Pell advocacy campaign.

Prior to joining UC, she served in the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) as a legislative assistant for a range of issues, including education, housing, child nutrition, arts and humanities, disabilities and social safety net programs. Before joining Sen. Feinstein's office, Crystal worked at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of English Language Acquisition, the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs and the Office of the Secretary. She has served on the staffs of Sen. Tom Udall (NM) and then-Sen. Barack Obama (IL), as well as for Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (TX).

Crystal began her career in education as a social studies teacher in McAllen, Texas and received both her Bachelor of Arts in political science and computer applications as well as her Master of Education degree from the University of Notre Dame.

In this episode, she shares:

• How her upbringing in Little Village of South Chicago influenced her decision to pursue a career in public service

• The competitiveness of the job market in legislation in Washington D.C. and the importance of establishing a network in successfully finding career opportunities

• How she created a network by participating in affinity groups, attending receptions, communing with college alumni, and building relationships with other young staffers

• Two main paths to pursuing educational policy as a career

• Why she's made it a point to mentor young policy leaders, especially those from diverse backgrounds

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Double the Pell
• NALEO (National Association for Latino Elected and Appointed Officials) Educational Fund
• Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
• Congressional Black Caucus Leadership Institute
• Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Connect with Crystal via email!

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Edited by Ken Inge of Dead End Hip Hop