Governor Susana Martinez

Susana Martinez served as the 31st Governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2018. She was the first female governor of the state and the first Hispanic female governor in the history of the United States. Before her governorship, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years along the nation’s southern border, focusing on child abuse and sexual abuse cases, and served as Doña Ana County’s elected district attorney for over half that time. Her efforts in office were geared toward enhancing community safety, elevating educational standards, and fostering economic diversity and growth.

During her tenure, Martinez transformed the largest structural deficit in New Mexico's history into a $2.2 billion surplus without raising taxes. She vetoed over $1 billion in proposed tax increases and reduced taxes and fees more than 60 times. Her administration bolstered the state's economy by creating a robust closing fund, expanding job training incentives, streamlining regulations, reducing business tax rates, and collaborating with Mexican state leaders to build a thriving bi-national economic corridor along the southern border.

Martinez implemented significant education reforms that doubled the four-year college graduation rate, increased high school graduation rates by 11 percentage points to an all-time high of 74%, and raised the starting salaries of teachers. Her administration also increased funding for Pre-K programs and other early childhood education initiatives. On the criminal justice front, she expanded "Katie’s Law" to require DNA samples from all felony arrests, and signed "Racheal's Law" to allow courts to grant permanent restraining orders against convicted sexual predators.

She was re-elected in 2014 by the largest margin of any Republican gubernatorial candidate in modern New Mexico history, reflecting substantial bipartisan support. Martinez has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World and served as a Chairwoman and long-time executive committee member of the Republican Governors Association (RGA). During her RGA chairmanship, she broke fundraising records and, at the conclusion of her term, Republicans held the greatest number of gubernatorial offices in U.S. history.

Martinez continues to engage in public service and advocacy, serving on several boards including the Daniels Fund, Foundation for Excellence in Education, and American Edge Project. She also holds honorary positions with the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation and Right Direction Women. Additionally, she was inducted into the University of Oklahoma School of Law Hall of Fame in 2019, acknowledging her longstanding dedication to public service and justice.