Lidia S. Martinez began her career at Southwest Airlines in 1990.  In 2004, she was named Regional Manager of Hispanic Community Affairs where she played an integral part in identifying the airline’s role within the Latino community and successfully opened many of its doors.

In addition to her work at Southwest Airlines, Martinez serves on numerous boards and is involved in a variety of organizations dedicated to empowering under-represented communities on a much larger scale. She is currently the Vice Chair for the Los Angeles-based National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), whose mission is to improve the image and employment of Hispanic Americans in all media including radio, television, and film.  She serves as Board Chair of MANA National, an organization that empowers Latinas through leadership development, community service and advocacy.  She was recently elected to serve on the California State University Foundation Board of Governors, and to the Board of Directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI).  Martinez also represents her company on the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Partnership Council, the California Latino Caucus Institute (CLCI) Corporate Advisory Board, and the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Business Advisory Board, where she helps to further the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs.  Martinez is a member of Congressman Bob Filner’s Latino Advisory Board. 

In her desire to empower the leaders of the communities she serves, Martinez is dedicated in supporting youth and leadership programs such as those offered by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), Hispanic College Fund, Leadership California, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and the Women’s Foundation of California.

Because of her immense passion and commitment to her company and the communities she represents, Martinez has been awarded the President’s Award—Southwest Airlines’ highest achievement award for employees.  She has also received several awards from the company’s Legislative Awareness Department to honor her commitment of company-wide legislative and grassroots initiatives.

Her continued success in her various positions at Southwest have led to an expansion in her market reach and an increase in her covered territories.  She now serves as the company’s Corporate Community Affairs Manager for both its Hispanic and non-Hispanic markets in all of California; the Pacific Northwest,  Chicago, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C.

Born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and raised in El Paso, Texas, Martinez studied at the University of Texas in Arlington where she received a Business Administration degree with a focus in marketing.   She currently resides in San Diego County with her husband Ted and two children, Melyna (22) and Teddy (19).