Education
Doctorate Degree
PhD in Educational Administration
University of Texas at Austin, 2010
Master's Degree
MED in Guidance and Counseling
The Univ of Texas at Brownsville, 2002
Bachelor's Degree
BA in Psychology
The Univ of Texas at Brownsville, 1998
Featured grants
- Martinez, Melissa A (Principal). Increasing college readiness and creating a college going culture: A case study of successful Texas high schools that predominantly serve low-income students and students of color, Greater Texas Foundation, State, $90000. (Submitted: January 1, 2013, Funded: December 2016). Grant.
- Martinez, Melissa A (Principal). University starts at home: A pilot program to help parents guide their children to college, Texas State University - College of Education Faculty Pilot Research Grant, Institutional (Higher Ed), $5000. (Funded: 2013). Grant.
- Miller, Trey (Principal), Andrews, Rodney (Co-Principal), Kosiewicz, Holly (Co-Principal), Martinez, Melissa A (Co-Principal). Part-time college students in Texas: Characterizing enrollment patterns, understanding the issues they face, and identifying promising approaches to promote their success, Greater Texas Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $295852.6. (Submitted: September 17, 2021, Funded: December 2021 - December 2023). Grant.
- Martinez, Melissa A. Latina educational administrators nationwide (LEAN)., Research Enhancement Program. Texas State University, Texas State University, $6000. (Submitted: October 2016, Funded: January 2017 - May 2018). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Buchanan, M., Martinez, M. A., & Pena, R. M. (2025). Mean girls in educational leadership: Overcoming incivility among women. In Incivility and Workplace Toxicity in P-12 Schools: The Causes, Costs, and Solutions for Educational Leaders. Routledge.
- Martinez, M. A., Enyioha, J. C., Marquez, J. G., & Baker, A. M. (2024). “I get Emotional About it”: Teachers’ (Com)Passion in College-Going Efforts at Three Urban High Schools. Urban Education, 59(6), 1905–1934. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859221089544
- Arar, K., Guajardo, M., Martinez, M. A., & Straubhaar, R. J. (Eds.). (2026). Transformative Praxis through Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs: A Blueprint for Fostering Resilient, Future-ready Leaders. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Transformative-Praxis-through-Doctoral-Educational-Leadership-Programs-A-Blueprint-for-Fostering-Resilient-Future-ready-Leaders/Arar-Guajardo-Martinez-Straubhaar/p/book/9781041128199
- Arar, K., Straubhaar, R. J., Martinez, M. A., Guajardo, M., Vigil, I. A. M., & Bryant, D. (2026). A global landscape of educational management and leadership in action (EMLA). In Transformative Praxis through Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs: A Blueprint for Fostering Resilient, Future-ready Leaders (pp. 1–25). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Transformative-Praxis-through-Doctoral-Educational-Leadership-Programs-A-Blueprint-for-Fostering-Resilient-Future-ready-Leaders/Arar-Guajardo-Martinez-Straubhaar/p/book/9781041128199
- Arar, K., Straubhaar, R. J., Guajardo, M., & Martinez, M. A. (2026). Beyond the case study: Leadership education in a changing world — Connecting micro context to the macro world. In Transformative Praxis through Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs: A Blueprint for Fostering Resilient, Future-ready Leaders (pp. 258–265). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Transformative-Praxis-through-Doctoral-Educational-Leadership-Programs-A-Blueprint-for-Fostering-Resilient-Future-ready-Leaders/Arar-Guajardo-Martinez-Straubhaar/p/book/9781041128199
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Journal of Research on Leadership Education Best Article of the Year, University Council for Educational Administration. November 2018
- Award / Honor Recipient: 2025 Outstanding Mentorship Award, Conference of Southern Graduate Schools. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Awardee, College of Education Award for Excellence in Service, Texas State University. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: The Graduate College Outstanding Mentor Award 2024-2025, Texas State University. October 31, 2024 - 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: Friends of JCEL Awardee, Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. November 2024
Featured service activities
- Editorial Review Board Member
The Urban Review
- Editorial Review Board Member
Leadership & Policy in Schools
- Member
COERO Advisory Committee
- Graduate Advisor
Director of PhD in School Improvement Program
- Member
The Education Institute
- Member
HSI Community Council