Welcome Kerri Martinez

Our New Development Coordinator!

By Anthony Martinez

Please welcome our new Development Coordinator, Kerri Martinez! Kerri heard about The Mockingbird Society when our Director of Development, Brian Lawrence, went to her nonprofit management class at the University of Washington and spoke about advocacy organizations. She said that, "I immediately felt a connection to Mockingbird's mission because of my prior work with foster youth when I was practicing as an attorney in Las Vegas."

Kerri was born in Los Angeles, CA but grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in media studies and graduated magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. She also minored in America politics and later she attended law school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Kerri decided to move to Seattle and thought it would be good for a career change, so she enrolled in UW's nonprofit management program.

Prior to working at Mockingbird she was practicing law and some litigation, and also was a legal editor at LexisNexis in Colorado, but she only felt a connection while doing volunteer work. While she thought that she wanted to be an attorney, it never really seemed to fit once she started practicing. She first discovered her passion for working with foster youth while volunteering as a children's attorney with the Legal Aid Center of southern Nevada. In that position she represented foster youth with cases such as removal from home. Kerri has volunteered at a wide range of organizations from legal aid, to museums. She currently volunteers at Humanities WA and Legal Voice.

As the Development Coordinator, Kerri is learning to write grants, and she said it is a great way to know the ins and outs of our programs. Also, she and the Public Policy department are gearing up for our 8th Annual Benefit Luncheon this fall. While speaking on the luncheon she said they will be more focused on building awareness of our amazing Mockingbird Family Model and it is an exciting growth.

One thing she is most excited about is to create strong relationships with our donors and to increase funding for all the programs we offer at The Mockingbird Society. She says 2014 has been a great year so far and hopes to make it better.

Kerri enjoys hiking and going camping with her two dogs in her free time, and her favorite place in the world is Moab, Utah where she goes four-wheeling. She loves how open it is and how you can see miles of red rocks. She likes to explore new foods and cooking methods. She moved to Seattle last fall and is still amazed at the food scene Seattle offers.

From what we now know of Kerri Martinez, let's give her a big welcome and continue to help and show her the Mockingbird way so she can grow with us. Welcome to the nest, Kerri!