Jessica E Martinez, MPH

Ms. Martinez experience in worker health and safety has been extensive and enriched by both her personal and professional encounters. She is the proud daughter of immigrant parents who held various jobs in the service sector to sustain their family. Ms. Martinez brings nearly two decades of leadership, vision, and experience supporting and advocating for the safety and health of workers in California and across the country. At the core of her leadership is her ability and dedication to workers’ rights. Ms. Martinez is committed to protecting workers and continuously improving workplace safety and health, especially those most vulnerable to poor working conditions - low-wage workers of color, immigrants, women, and youth. Currently, Ms. Martinez serves as co-executive director for the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) where she has manages a dedicated team at National COSH for nine years. A nationally-recognized movement leader, Ms. Martinez spearheads organizing efforts and public policy and education initiatives. Ms. Martinez leads efforts around language justice ensuring accessibility and inclusivity of programs for diverse worker populations. She is trilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Under Ms. Martinez’s direction, National COSH has built ground-breaking coalitions that engage workers as leaders to win critical workplace health and safety improvements.

Prior to her work at National COSH, Ms. Martinez served as the Program Coordinator for the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program and the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH), implementing education programs and advocating for worker safety and health. Ms. Martinez also has worked as a labor organizer for dynamic campaigns in California and Illinois, and has supported the implementation of human rights and public health projects internationally. In 2014, Ms. Martinez was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez under President Obama’s Administration to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, representing safety professionals. She has been awarded the Peace and Social Justice Award by the Southern California Institute for Popular Education (IDEPSCA), the Lorin Kerr Activist Award by the OHS Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the New Labor Honoree Award.

A well-respected strategist in economic, racial justice and occupational safety and health movements, Ms. Martinez has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show, CNN en Español, and National Public Radio, has been widely quoted in mainstream and Latino newspapers and is a much-sought after speaker for conferences, panels and events.

She holds a B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA and a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois, Chicago School of Public Health. She is the proud mom of two kind, compassionate, and awesome daughters.

Sub-specialties:
COVID-19
Occupational Safety and Health
Worker Health and Safety
Worker Justice
Latinx workers, Black workers, workers of color
OSHA