LEWISTON, Idaho – Kathy Martin, Dean for Community Programs and Governmental Relations at Lewis-Clark State College, was among 50 women recognized at the Idaho Business Review Women of the Year dinner held at the Boise Centre on February 18.
Martin, the only woman from North Idaho selected for the honor, was nominated by LCSC President J. Anthony (Tony) Fernández. She also received letters of support from Kristin Kemak, President & CEO of The Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce; Keith Peterson, State Historian and Associate Director of the Idaho State Historical Society; and Lyle Wirtanen, Executive Director of the Nez Perce County Historical Society.
Martin was born in Lewiston and attended high school in Pierce. She married Randy Martin, who was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. They lived in various locations while Randy completed his service, including Rapid City, SD, San Antonio, TX, and Miami, FL. Martin completed her Bachelor of Professional Studies, Business degree at Barry University in 1989. She went on to earn a Master of Science, Management at Troy State University in 1992. Following the completion of her masters, she was hired as the Director of Administration/Corporate President at American Knights Security, Inc. in Miami. In 1995 she returned to North Central Idaho, accepting a position as Director of Distance Learning at Lewis-Clark State College, serving in that position until 2002. She also served as Interim Assistant Vice President for Extended Programs from 2001 to 2002. In July 2002, she was named Dean for Community Programs by President Dene Kay Thomas and in 2012 President Fernández added Governmental Relations to her responsibilities.
In her current position, her responsibilities include: overseeing the Community Program’s portion of the college’s three-part role and mission with Academic and Professional-Technical programs; providing leadership, budgeting, grants and management of all aspects of programming and operations of e-Learning Services, Continuing Education and Community Events, Summer School and Special Programs, Outreach Centers, Center for Arts and History, AmeriCorps and Service Learning, Small Business Development Center, and Educational Talent Search; in consultation with the President - providing administrative oversight for legislative activities at the federal, state, and local government offices; coordinating visits on and off campus, monitoring legislation and policy initiatives, and advocating priorities to build and strengthen relationships.
Martin helped create the Distance Learning program at LCSC in 1995, which began with videotaped lectures for 40 off-campus students who participated in 10 classes. “With a great team,” she established the current e-Learning Services program utilizing Blackboard as the course management system that now accommodates 175 online, 70 hybrid, and 230 lecture classes for 3500 students.
She served six years as an elected Board member and President/Chairman to the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves as ex-officio to the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce. She served as Chair of the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) for seven years. During her term as GAC Chair, she helped establish and moderated annual legislative forums with district legislators hosted at LCSC.
Serving on the planning committee to establish the Chinese Remembering event for five years, honoring and recognizing the impact of the Chinese influence in our community, is another area of involvement Martin is especially proud of. During this time, she hosted at LCSC Center for Arts and History (CAH) and focused on the Chinese Beuk Aie Temple. Following a fire at CAH in 2009, Martin worked with insurance companies and conservators to repair artifacts damaged by smoke.
Former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne appointed Martin to serve on the Lewis and Clark Trail Committee in 2003. She was on the committee for four years and helped plan and execute events to celebrate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. “This gave me the opportunity to work closely with members of the Nez Perce Tribe and develop strong relationships with tribal leaders,” said Martin.
“These responsibilities have allowed me to connect with the community as an ambassador for LCSC,” Martin said. “Serving in the Governmental Relations role also allows me the opportunity to work with elected officials and colleagues throughout the state and in DC. I can’t think of anything that would be more rewarding than what I do for my professional career and appreciate the mentoring from many colleagues, especially Tony and Dene, that has helped along the way.”