Dr. Jennifer Martinez is the policy director of housing affordability portfolio at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our local communities. Having played a key role in passing statewide tenant protections, Jennifer manages strategic development and grantmaking that supports policy and advocacy efforts to address California’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis. She was formerly chief strategy officer for PICO California, the largest faith-based community-organizing network in California. During her time at PICO, she raised and managed over $1.5 million annually and managed a statewide organizing, electoral, and communications team. An organizer for two decades, her work has focused on housing justice, immigrant rights, restorative justice, and quality education. Jennifer serves on the boards of PICO California Action Fund and MidPen Housing, a nonprofit developer. She is also on the board of the GRIP Training Institute, a nonprofit that offers a trauma-informed, one-year program for incarcerated individuals. Jennifer received the 2019 Changemaker Award from Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, England. Jennifer is a Fellow of the fourth class of the Civil Society Fellowship, a Partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.