Lupe Martinez, President And Chief Executive Officer Of UMOS Celebrates 50 Years Of Service

Martinez celebrates 50 years of service at UMOS.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

May 1, 2019

Milwaukee, WI - The United Migrant Opportunity Services, Inc. (UMOS) announced that Lupe Martinez, the President and CEO of UMOS is celebrating his 50 year of service at UMOS. According to a press release by UMOS, on May 5, 2019, Martinez will celebrate 50 years of service at UMOS. Martinez has devoted his entire 50-year professional career to improving the living and working conditions of migrant and seasonal farm workers and other low-income populations at UMOS. Martinez, himself, is a former migrant worker whose family traveled throughout the Midwest harvesting crops.

Today, Martinez is the President and Chief Executive Officer of UMOS, a position he has held for 45 years. The mission of UMOS is to advocate and provide programs and services that improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of underserved populations. 

When Martinez was appointed President/CEO, in 1974, UMOS was a single state, single-focused, migrant farmworker serving agency only. Today, under Martinez's leadership, UMOS is a nationally recognized, providing diverse programs and services, to diverse populations in five states: Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas and throughout Wisconsin.

Martinez has positioned UMOS to be a performance-based, data driven, customer focused corporation. Martinez oversees the operations of over 40 performance-based program contracts, often competing against larger, Fortune 500 for profit corporations. Those 40+ programs are divided into three major divisions: Workforce Development, Child Development and Social Services. UMOS also produces nine corporate and community events.

Under Martinez' leadership, UMOS has become the largest Hispanic-managed, non-profit organization in Wisconsin, and one of the largest in the nation. UMOS is the largest non-profit workforce development contractor with the state of Wisconsin.  

Martinez advocates for under-served populations at the local, state and national level, with a focus on improving the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farm workers. At the national level, he is chairman of the National Farmworker Alliance, comprised of 23 national and regional trade associations and farmworker organizations.

Martinez sits of the board of Farmworker Justice, a national non-profit that works closely with elected officials on immigration reform and other federal legislation that impact agricultural workers. Martinez also served six years on the board of the National Council of La Raza (UNIDOS US).

Also, on the national level, Martinez is chairman of MAFO, a national partnership of farmworker and rural organizations that has sponsored a national farmworker conference for 30 years.

At the state level, Martinez continues the fight for farmworker rights.  He was appointed by Democratic Governor Jim Doyle to sit on the Wisconsin Council on Migrant Labor, a statutory council that enforces the state's migrant labor laws. He was reappointed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, and he continues to serve as the interim chairman of the Council under newly elected Democratic Governor Tony Evers. Martinez is also President of the Wisconsin Farmworkers Coalition, comprised of farmworker serving agencies throughout the state.

At the local level, Martinez is a member of the executive committee of Employ Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board . He serves as president of local LULAC Council 337.

Martinez has received many awards, honors and recognitions. In the last 5 years Martinez was named by Madison 365 Publication as the most powerful Latino in the state of Wisconsin. He was recognized by the Green Bay Packers with the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs' Farmworker Advocate Hall of Fame Award, the Farmworker Justice Farmworker Advocate Award, HPGM's Lifetime Achievement Award, BizTimes Media Non-Profit Executive of the Year Recognition, MKEOne Driver of Diversity Leadership Award, the Omega School Legacy Award, and The World Citizen Award, to name a few.

Martinez's philosophy is to treat every customer, every client, as if he or she were your aunt or uncle, brother or sister, and to serve them with dignity and honesty and to go the extra mile in making a difference in their lives.

Martinez is also the co-chair for the 90th Annual LULAC National Convention and Exposition that will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 10-13, 2019.

Martinez has made the difference in the lives of thousands. Although Martinez does not show any signs of retirement, some would say he has already achieved a lifetime of accomplishments over his 50 years (and counting) of service to others. As Martinez puts it, "It is a privilege to serve others."