Dr. H. Nolo Martinez
Co-President
Dr. Nolo Martínez is the Founder and Co-President for Nolo Consulting, LLC. His areas of professional interest include the study of people’s beliefs, attitudes, and values as the foundation to describe and explain organizational culture; integrating work from adult learning and development to plan, implement and evaluate adult education and early childhood education programs; and leadership development in diverse and immigrant communities.
A bilingual adult educator, Nolo has worked for more than 25 years to build bridges between immigrant and diverse populations and existing communities in North Carolina. He uses Discovery Learning’s assessments to recognize diverse cultures and leadership styles, thereby building on organizations’ collective strengths. This ensures that each organization’s cultural diversity remains an asset (and not a barrier) to high performance.
He served as the first Director for Hispanic/Latino Affairs at the N.C. Office of the Governor. During his tenure, he led state efforts to develop Latino leadership and coordinated statewide initiatives to address the needs of the fastest growing Latino state in the United States. Nolo also developed North Carolina’s AgrAbility Project to assist farmers, farm workers and their families when affected by disabilities.
He earned his doctorate in adult education from North Carolina State University, as well as a master’s degree in economics from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Puerto Rico.
Nolo was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and raised in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico; he now lives in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He enjoys volunteering at local service agencies in the community, as well as playing tennis and long distance running.
Current & Past Board Membership
American Immigration Council
AILF was established in 1987 to increase public understanding of immigration law and policy and the value of immigration to American society, and to advancie fundamental fairness and due process under the law for immigrants.
The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
The Community Foudation is a charitable organization dedicated to strengthening the community for present and future generations. With assets of more than $120 million and about 700 charitable funds under its management, The Community Foundation promotes philanthropy by addressing emerging community issues, managing permanent endowments, and working with individuals, families, corporations, private foundations, and nonprofit organizations in achieving charitable objectives.
Greensboro Works Task Force
A joint effort of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and the United Way of Greater Greensboro to help the community develop a collaborative, informed and share vision for the long-term economic success of residents in Guilford County.
Center for Design Innovation
CDI is a multi-campus research center within the state-wide University of North Carolina system. CDI's goal is to catalyze economic transformation of the state's Piedmont area through design-focused activity based on advanced digital technologies.
Fundacion Communitaria del Bajio
Fundación Comunitaria del Bajío works with central Mexican communities that lack access to critical services, infrastructure, and economic opportunities. Many of the men and women in these communities migrate to the United States to support their loved ones. The mission is to help emigrants and their families realize this dream by generating local sources of employment, improving access to education, and increasing quality of life. This mission is accomplished through community organizing, advocacy, and grant-writing.
The Tomorrow Fund for Hispanic Students
The Tomorrow Fund for Hispanic Students seeks to make higher education more accessible to talented Hispanic students with financial need in North Carolina through grants to post-secondary institutions.
State Board of United Way of North Carolina
The Board’s mission is to help increase the capability of the United Way system to improve the quality of human life in North Carolina.
Member of the Board of Directors, Nuestro Banco, Executive and Governance Committees
Nuestro Banco is a full service bank located in Raleigh, North Carolina that serves the financial needs of the quickly growing Hispanic community in Wake County and, eventually, in other areas of North Carolina and the Southeast United States.
Moses Cone and Wesley Long Community Health Foundation
Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation seeks to invest in the development and support of activities, programs and organizations that measurably improve the health of people in the geographic area traditionally served by the Moses Cone Health System. With assets of nearly $100M, the Foundation has adopted an overall minimum-spending target of 5% of its asset base. These funds directly benefit individuals and families throughout the greater Greensboro area.
Guilford County Communities in School
Communities In Schools is anchor to the nation's leading community-based organization helping young people stay in school and prepare for life.
Latino Professional Forum (LPF)
The LPF is a group of Latino executives in Greensboro that started last year. Our overall objectives are to: (a) promote understanding of culture, (b) provide mentoring whenever possible, and (c) encourage greater involvement/representation of Latinos in Greensboro. Our mission focuses on creating and sustaining connections among and between Latino professional leaders.
Wildacres Leadership Initiative Board of Advisors
Wildacres Leadership Initiative cultivates a network of courageous leaders who connect across differences in identity and ideas to develop new solutions to the complex challenges facing the people and communities of North Carolina.
Consejo del Migrante
Consejo del Migrante, is a group of professional and international advisers supporting the work of Governor of the State of Guanajuato. The main focus of the "Consejo" is to study the out-migration phenomena and the challenges to public policy.
UPAEP Foundation
UPAEP (Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla) Foundation is a not-for-profit organization for the advancement of higher education in developing countries. UPAEP Foundation has a strong link with Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, which UPAEP offers comprehensive education to promote the development and transformation of society.
Judicial Branch Foreign Language Advisory Committee Member (2000)
Participatory Research
• 2009-10 Principal Investigator. The Latino Demonstration Project, an entrepreneurship education and "coaching” support project designed for existing and potential Latino Small Business in Greensboro and the Triad; grant funding from Piedmont Triad Partnership.
• 2006-10 Co-Investigator. An international community service and youth development program in the Central Region of Mexico. This participatory research project included a network of agencies from Mexico and UNCG undergraduate students and served as a bi-national program to study the immigration phenomena in this area of Mexico. This effort is focusing attention on the out-migration in Central Mexico, using the Tamaula community as our pilot, as most of the men in the community were away working in America, and most of the young boys were left at home to tend to the animals and the farming.
• 2008-09. Principal Investigator. The Guilford County Latina Quilt Clubs in collaboration with the Guilford County Extension Center grant from Susan Komen Foundation to develop and implement a Latina breast cancer prevention education program with Extension volunteers and agents.
• 2005-09. Principal Investigator. NC Immigrant Health ACCESS Project, Moses Cone and Wesley Long Foundation. Use of Health Promoters to improve access to healthcare among immigrant communities in Guilford County.
• 2005-09. Principal Investigator. Immigrant Thriving at Three Program, sponsored by the United Way of Greater Greensboro. This educational program is an early childhood and parenting education program to support parents and children of Latino immigrant in Guilford County.
• 2008. Principal Investigator. Emergency Preparedness Educational Project, supported by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC and Duke Energy Foundation. A bilingual educational program to support best practices and interventions to assist immigrant Latinos living in North Carolina in increasing safety and reducing accidents during natural disasters.
• 2002. Principal Investigator. NC Community College System Latino Initiative project to develop policies and strategies to enhance the NC Community College System’s ability to increase Hispanic student enrollment, retention and academic success.
• 1994-98. Principal Investigator. NC AgrAbility Project for farmers and farmworkers, NC State University-Cooperative Extension Service.
• 1993-98. Co-Investigator. Southern Appalachian Leadership Initiative on Cancer, NC State University, outreach education program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and implemented in Cooperative Extension in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Journal Articles and Publications
Communicating Health Information to English as a Second Language Patients
The Need for Workers’ Compensation Coverage for Farmworkers
Health Disparities among North Carolina’s Latinos: Our Point of View
Pesticide Safety Training Materials For Farmworkers: An Annotated Bibliography
Pace Training Manual: A Guide For Training Farmworkers About Field Safety (also available in Spanish)
Community and Professional Awards and Recognition
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Recognized in 2007 by the Business Journal as “One of the 50th most influential leaders in the Triad.”
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Recognized in 2004 by the Independent Weekly as one of the most influential advocacy leaders in North Carolina for work and success in support of El Pueblo Votes initiatives, November 24, 2004.
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Recipient of the 2003 Diamante Awards for Community Involvement honoring North Carolina Hispanics that demonstrate leadership in education, business, health and advocacy, October 2003.
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Recipient of the 2003 E.J. Boone Adult Education Enhancement Award for outstanding contribution to the practice of Adult Education, May 2003.
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Champion for Peace Award Recipient 2002, at Chautauqua Conference. Award for promoting diversity and multiculturalism in North Carolina; North Carolina Central University.