Ada Martin was born and raised in New York City but has lived in Arizona for decades and has spent over 20 years working in higher education in either an administrative, instructional, or instructional design capacity. Before working at ASU, she worked as a Curriculum Development Manager and served as adjunct faculty in the College of Humanities at the University of Phoenix. She earned her undergraduate degree in Spanish from Arizona State University, her master's in education from the University of Phoenix, and her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arizona, graduating with high distinction, as evidenced by her having been nominated for the school's Spring 2024 Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Her dissertation focuses on institutional harm inflicted on Black and Latino educators forced to engage in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at historically white institutions. Through her scholarship, she aims to disrupt the inherent white supremacy in academia and to center the experiences and voices of Black and Latino educators.
Ada previously served as the 2021-2022 President of ASU's Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association.