Martha Hernandez-Martinez (she/her/hers), MPA, serves as the Research & Evaluation Manager for the Community Engagement Initiative at Casa de Esperanza. Her current role is conducting research and evaluations, developing trainings and tools, and providing technical assistance to Minnesota and national organizations. Her community-based participatory research work focuses on the intersection of gender, intimate partner violence, Masculinities from a Global South perspective, human trafficking, sexual violence, and the impact of public policies on women’s lives.  She developed a toolkit designed to engage Latino men in domestic violence prevention efforts, collaborated in the development of a toolkit designed to evaluate domestic violence programs, and a screening tool to identify Latin@ survivors of human trafficking.

Hernandez is originally from Managua, Nicaragua, and holds a License in Psychology from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua and gained experience working as a mental health provider with survivors of domestic violence and natural disasters. In addition, she collaborated on research to engage Nicaraguan men in HIV prevention efforts.  She holds a Master in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota with a concentration in Women’s International Human Rights and Development Policy. 

She has published articles in Women & Therapy, Psychology of Violence, Journal of Family Violence, Latino Psychology Today, and Hispanic Health Care International.  She has worked for the last twenty years with Latino immigrants in Minnesota on issues related to affordable housing, and access to education.