Juan Martinez

Juan Martinez, who has led communications and marketing for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund for the past three years, is coming on board at social innovation lab and impact investor Hopelab as head of strategic communications.

Before working with the NAACP, Martinez was chief communications and advocacy officer for GLSEN, an organization that works to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. He has also served as VP, strategic communications at Sesame Workshop; senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and press secretary to former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.

In his new position, Martinez will work alongside Hopelab president and CEO Margaret Laws to advance the organization’s work, with a focus on ensuring that youth voices are center stage as HopelabVentures ramps up its advisory services and co-investments with partners who are making mental health more accessible.

“Hopelab is a bit of unicorn. In the youth mental health and emerging technology space, we invest, collaborate to build tools, lead research and catalyze partnerships, shape policy, and center youth, especially LGTBQ+ and teens and young adults of color. So we were looking for a chief communications unicorn of sorts,” explained Laws. “And we found it in Juan.”