Hector Martinez and his wife moved to the United States with their four young children in 1999. After arriving in Houston, TX and sleeping on the floor of a family member’s kitchen with his wife and 4 children, Hector searched for work. Despite speaking little English, he found employment selling air conditioners door-to-door, earning just enough for rent and groceries every month. He also worked in a restaurant which allowed him to bring home meals for the family but did not provide financial stability.

In December 1999, the family moved to Kansas where they lived in a tiny camper without running water or electricity. The winters were very cold, and the summers were very hot. Hector found a job at a meat packaging plant where, for years, he worked all night and attended the Learning Center by day, as he received English as a Second Language. HIs desire to give back led him to find time to also volunteer at the Learning Center as a computer instructor, leading to 2 hours of sleep per day for years. 

Hector received his visa in 2001 and began working as a computer coordinator at the same learning center where he received services. That following year, his family moved into their own home in 2002—a milestone in their pursuit of financial stability.  

While applying for permanent residency status, Hector was promoted in 2006 to Director of the Learning Center, while serving as district representative and president of the Kansas State Adult Education Association, his state association. He joined the Coalition on Adult Basic Education and served at the national level as a regional representative for seven states and chaired the Technology Committee for COABE’s national conferences.  

Today, Hector and his family have all become American citizens, and his four children have graduated college and become professionals—an architect, family therapist, computer engineer, and physics engineer. His wife recently completed her teaching degree, and Hector has gone on to rise to the highest ranks of adult education in his state, now serving as the State Director of Kansas.  

Hector was recently elected in October 2023 to serve as COABE’s president elect. The president elect role brings Hector in to 6 years of leadership (2 as president elect, 2 as president, and 2 as past president) of a 45,000-member strong association. In this role, he will work cooperatively with the President’s Triumvirate and the Chief Executive Officer to guide the largest adult education association in the world.