Holly Martinez

Holly Martinez joined the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) in 2020 as the Deputy Director, building staff and instituting policies and procedures to help the Commission grow.

In 2021 she was made Interim Executive Director of the Commission, leading an unprecedented expansion of budget, programs, and policy efforts. Martinez was officially sworn in by California’s Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins on December 16, 2021 after being appointed to the position permanently in November by the Commission. Under her leadership, the CCSWG secured an historic $7.9 million dollars to lead a Women’s Recovery Response effort and develop a California Blueprint for Women’s Recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. She established a new fundraising arm of the Commission designed to level up impact for local changemakers statewide, and led CCSWG though vital strategies designed to build capacity and increase partnerships including those with the California Partner’s Project, the California Budget and Policy Center, the Mexican Consulate, and more.

Holly has led the Commission’s groundbreaking work in reproductive justice as the state continues to take on first-in-the-nation policies protecting the rights of people who can become pregnant and has provided key vision and support to the rapid expansion of the Commission’s Equal Pay Program targeting corporate leaders in gender equity statewide.

Prior to joining the Commission, Holly previously served as Director of Programs and Advocacy at the California State Parks Foundation, and as the Director of CalEITC4Me, an extensive education and outreach campaign for information on the California Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Her State service also includes serving as Director of AmeriCorps at California Volunteers’ Office of the Governor, and as Chief of Staff to First Lady Maria Shriver, where she worked to create and implement a range of programs serving low-income families, to empower women, and address barriers of inclusion for people with special needs.

Holly is a Sacramento native and a graduate of California State University, Sacramento with a BA in Communications and Public Relations.

Contact: Holly.Martinez@women.ca.gov