Biography
Nury Martinez, Board of Education Member
Board District 6
On July 1, 2009, Nury Martinez took the oath of office as the new LAUSD Board of Education member representing District 6, which is located in the northeast San Fernando Valley and includes the communities of Arleta, Lakeview Terrace, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, North Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City, San Fernando, Sun Valley, Sunland/Tujunga, Sylmar, and Van Nuys.
Nury is an exemplary role model for young Californians – especially for young Latinas seeking to make a difference in their communities. She is a tireless advocate for public education, working families, environmental justice and human rights.
Nury pursued election to the LAUSD Board in order to enhance educational opportunities for all students, especially those who have been historically underserved and denied access to high quality instructional programs that would enable them to graduate college-prepared and career-ready. She is committed to engaging parents, teachers, administrators and community stakeholders in the mission to collaboratively create innovative and diverse options for gold standard educational environments and to address the unacceptable achievement gap in Los Angeles schools.
Nury understands the importance of a good public education because she is a product of the public schools, from Pacoima Elementary to San Fernando High. She was the first in her family to graduate from college.
The child of immigrant parents, Nury Martinez learned the importance of hard work and determination from their example. Her dad was a dishwasher and a painter; her mom was a seamstress and a factory worker. Neither had the opportunity to attend college. Like so many parents, they were determined that their daughter have a better future and instilled in her a love of reading and learning.
Nury brings her passion, commitment and hands-on approach to addressing the issues that the LAUSD faces. She has pledged to visit every school in her district, to meet with students, teachers and parents and see first-hand the successes and challenges at each school.
Before being elected to the LAUSD Board, Nury served as the Mayor of the City of San Fernando. Under her leadership as Mayor, the City built more senior housing, implemented a living wage ordinance and built a world-class aquatic center. Nury was first elected to the City Council in March 2003 and was reelected in 2007.
Nury is also the Executive Director of Pacoima Beautiful, a grass roots, environmental justice community based non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a healthy, environmentally safe and sustainable Northeast San Fernando Valley.
Nury manages several Pacoima Beautiful environmental education programs, including the Community Inspectors Program, the Safer Homes for a Healthy Community Program and the Youth Environmentalist Program (PB-YES). PB-YES is an intensive, hands-on, year-round program that provides youth leadership, college preparedness and readiness skills through work on community improvement projects. Each year, more than 200 high school students participate in the program.
With Nury’s guidance, Pacoima Beautiful launched an afterschool program this year. The program combines environmental community service projects, computer training, mentoring and tutoring services.
Nury Martinez also serves on the Boards of Directors of LAANE (Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy) and the Horizon Institute. She lives in the City of San Fernando with her husband Gerardo Guzmán, where they are raising their first child, Isabelle, who was born in February 2009. Nury graduated from California State University at Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996.
