NHCC Foundation President/CEO John Martinez to retire, national search begins for replacement

The National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation is in the process of finding new leadership.

Albuquerque native John Martinez is stepping down from the role of NHCC Foundation President/CEO to retire. His last day was Thursday.

The NHCC Foundation is the fundraising arm for the state-run NHCC.

Martinez was named to his position in May 2022, and one of his goals was to repair the relationship between the cultural center’s foundation and board of directors.

“I’m most proud of rebuilding the relationship between the two entities,” Martinez said. “The two boards are working really well together. I feel like I’m leaving the foundation in a good place.”

Chief Operating Officer Melissa Armijo is stepping in on an interim basis. The NHCC Foundation will begin a national search for Martinez’s replacement.

“The foundation is figuring out what exactly they need,” Martinez said. “The boards are working well together, and the foundation needs to raise money. I’m not a fundraiser, and we need to find someone who is a professional fundraiser to look under all the rocks and find any funding they can. Melissa will keep the foundation moving forward.”

Martinez has been involved with the foundation since 2017, when he was a board member.

Before taking the position of president and CEO, he resigned his seat on the board.

For the better part of a decade, there have been plans to bridge the gap between the NHCC Foundation and the board of directors.

There was very little movement.

“People have asked me what my skill sets are and I’d say I’m a relationship-maker,” Martinez said. “There’s history where the foundation and center didn’t do anything together. During my time, that’s changed and I’ve been able to meet with donors alongside (NHCC director) Zack Quintero. It makes a difference to have the two entities on the same page.”

The foundation continues to keep clean audits and have them certified.

“We’re financially stable and the audits are clean,” he said. “We are certified and are able to write our own grants and grants for the center. One of my last duties was signing off on our most recent audit.”

Quintero has worked with Martinez for more than a year and has helped cultivate the relationship between the two entities.

“Throughout my time at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, John has been an incredible partner to our team and leader for the foundation,” Quintero said. “The center works with the nonprofit NHCC Foundation on a range of projects, and I’ve appreciated our close working relationship with John and his team. During his time with the foundation, he helped build a consistent and positive relationship between the center’s board of directors and the foundation board.”