Hispanic Heritage Series Part I of V
Erika Martinez grew up watching her single mother work multiple jobs in manufacturing, custodial work, bakeries, and cleaning private homes to make ends meet. Her mother’s dedication eventually brought them to Denver when Martinez was 12, seeing it as a city with good job opportunities and a promising quality of life. “My work ethic is one thing I attribute to my success, and that comes from my mom,” Martinez said.
Martinez’s work ethic has led her to taking several communications roles where she has created and implemented strategic marketing and communications plans for internal and external audiences, like Latinos. She has served in various positions with the City and County of Denver, including at the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center, North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, and Denver Human Services.
Today, Martinez works as the director of communications and engagement for the Denver Public Library. “I oversee marketing, communications strategic partnerships, and community engagement for the entire system. All of those pieces are different but connected,” said Martinez.
“I love the ability to think about all of those pieces to help raise the brand of the library, because the library honestly is a great resource for our community,” she later added.
“I don’t want it to be the best kept secret. There are so many different services that we offer to our community at no cost. It’s our job to get the word out about all of those things.”
Martinez said one of her proudest accomplishments she achieved while working at Denver Public Library was contributing to referred ballot measure question 2i. This question, which was overwhelmingly passed by Denver voters in 2022, provided the Denver Public Library with an additional $32 million a year.
“(Being) part of that team and developing advocacy and plans and figuring out how to get (the ballot measure) to the finish line was incredibly fulfilling and a great experience for me,” said Martinez.
Outside of her work with the library, Martinez is a Denver Public Schools graduate from North High School. She received her BA in Communications from the University of Colorado Denver and her MBA from Regis University. Martinez is also a graduate of the Circle of Latina Leadership, a leadership program that she says changed the trajectory of her career and life.
“I had gone to college, was just about to finish my masters, but I really feel like I was one of only a few people that looked like me. The Circle of Latina Leadership gave me a network of women who are wicked smart,” she said.
When asked about what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her, Martinez said she sees the time as an opportunity to come together and celebrate who we are from people of different walks of life and countries.
“For me, I want to do this year round. I’ve been jokingly saying that I am brown all year round,” said Martinez.
“Let’s celebrate this all year round. We have so much to offer. It’s all about intentionally celebrating ourselves and what we bring to this country.”
