Gracie Martinez
Career Summary
Gracie's career began in direct service as a supplemental English instructor at Mt. San Antonio College. During this time, her sessions helped raise the class pass rate by 25%. From teaching, she moved to StudentNest Incorporated as an academic tutor and area supervisor, where she managed education services for foster youth in group homes. After direct service, she spent over six years at Pew Research Center in administration and research. She started in administration managing program operations and multi-million dollar grants. Eventually, she shifted into a research role on the Race and Ethnicity team; in this role, she led multiple projects studying demographics, identity, and public opinion among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. She also authored and co-authored five publications that have garnered more than 100 citations.
Education, Awards & Fellowships
Gracie holds a BA in English with a minor in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She has also completed a Certificate in Education Program Evaluation from Georgetown University.
My Why
As a former community college student, Gracie witnessed firsthand how much a person's trajectory can shift when someone believes in them and helps clear the way forward. That experience has guided every stage of her professional journey. Her career began by teaching and tutoring students directly. From there, she moved into nonprofit operations before shifting into research on race, ethnicity, and identity in American life. Now, she's focused on evaluation to understand how effective various programs and policies are at supporting underserved youth and what changes can be done to make them better.
What Brings Me Joy
Outside of work, Gracie is a pet sitter who takes care of neighborhood cats and dogs. She also loves hiking, journaling, trying new coffee shops, and reading non-fiction books, particularly social commentaries.