Carlos Martinez named chief of staff in Office of the President

AUGUST 25, 2020 — President Taylor Eighmy today announced the appointment of Carlos Martinez as chief of staff in the Office of the President at UTSA. Martinez brings to the university a deep understanding of executive leadership and administration, local and state government relations, and policymaking through a career spanning more than three decades in public service, including nearly 20 years in senior leadership roles in Texas higher education. 

Martinez has served as associate vice chancellor for governmental relations at The University of Texas System, as associate vice president for governmental relations at UT Austin and as chief of staff to former UT Austin President Gregory Fenves and Interim President Jay Hartzell. In those roles he has been instrumental in fostering an environment for academic and research institutions to achieve their strategic goals by advocating for the needs of students, faculty and staff as well as the research and teaching environment. 

At UTSA Martinez will direct all administrative and operational activities for the Office of the President and will help support the advancement of A Vision for UTSA, the university’s 10-year strategic plan, as well as a variety of presidential initiatives. He will also assist with external community and governmental relations initiatives.

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“I look forward to collaborating with students, faculty, staff and supporters to advance UTSA.”

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“I could not be more delighted to announce Carlos Martinez as my new chief of staff. He is a seasoned and proven leader who brings deep experience to UTSA as the chief of staff at UT Austin,” said Eighmy. “Through his long-standing relationships with the UT System, its Board of Regents and our state’s elected leaders, he is also an exceptional choice to augment the work of our senior leadership team and further create an environment that allows UTSA to achieve its goal of becoming a Hispanic-thriving and nationally recognized research institution.” 

Martinez began his career in higher education with the UT System in 2002, where he represented the interests of UT System academic institutions before the Texas Legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He informed, advised and counseled senior leaders at the UT System on legislative matters, including politically sensitive issues. While there, he helped the UT System and its academic institutions develop strategic approaches to strengthen their relationships with legislative and state leadership offices. 

In 2010 Martinez joined UT Austin, where he served as associate vice president for governmental relations for nearly six years. In this role he served as a key liaison to the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Governor, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, UT System administration and other institutions of higher education to facilitate the development of policies, rules and legislation impacting the university. Additionally, he aided in the development of the biennial budget submitted to the legislative budget board and coordinated efforts to advance UT Austin’s strategic priorities before the legislature. 

In his role as chief of staff at UT Austin, he has been a senior counselor on administrative and operational matters, and he provides strategic and policy guidance to the president. Notably, Martinez established and facilitated UT Austin’s Campus Climate Task Force and has collaborated with senior leadership to develop solutions for complex and sensitive organizational issues. 

“I’m honored that President Eighmy has selected me to join his leadership team, which is moving UTSA forward on the exciting road to national research prominence,” said Martinez. “I look forward to collaborating with students, faculty, staff and supporters to advance UTSA toward its strategic destinations and to help it realize its founding mission as a Hispanic-thriving university.” 

From 1998 to 2002 Martinez served as general counsel and a committee clerk in the Office of State Rep. Pete Gallego. 

He began his career in public service at the City of Del Rio, where he was successively promoted to acting city manager in 1995, his final year there. 

Martinez earned his B.A. in philosophy and M.S. in public administration from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He earned his J.D. at The University of Texas School of Law. 

He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. 

The national search that brought Martinez to UTSA was conducted by Diversified Search and the search committee was chaired by Mary Hernandez, UTSA assistant vice president for business affairs administration and operations.

Martinez begins his new position at UTSA on September 21.

— Christi Fish

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