Dr. Vicki J. Martin is the tenth president of Milwaukee Area Technical College. She has served in higher education for nearly four decades, at MATC for three decades and has led the college since 2014. The Milwaukee native and first-generation college student holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, master’s degrees from the University of North Dakota (counseling and guidance) and Cardinal Stritch University (business management), and a doctorate degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 2015, Martin launched the MATC Promise, a public-private partnership that provides free tuition for eligible new high school graduates. The first-in-Wisconsin program drew the attention of former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who addressed MATC’s graduates in Spring 2017. In Spring 2018, Martin announced a major expansion of the program — the MATC Promise for Adults — which provides free tuition for eligible students to finish their degree. To help more students stay in college and graduate, she is leading MATC through its implementation of the nationally-recognized American Association of Community Colleges’ Guided Pathways framework. Martin has attracted growing private-sector and foundation support to the MATC Foundation, serves on the steering committee of the Higher Education Regional Alliance, and is a founding leader of the M3 (pronounced M-cubed) initiative, which brings together MATC, Milwaukee Public Schools and UWM to transform the future of Milwaukee through education. She is also a board member of City Year Milwaukee and serves as the chairperson of the Bradley Tech High School Commission, where she has helped implement an Early College program connecting students to both college credits and career exploration.

In January, Martin was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s list of “19 Executives to Watch in 2019.”