The San Antonio Legal Services Association announced it has hired nonprofit executive and fundraising strategist James Martinez to lead the organization as executive director.
Martinez succeeds Sarah Dingivan, SALSA’s first CEO and executive director who left the nonprofit in May, and Robert Mihara, SALSA’s managing attorney, who served as interim executive director.
Martinez, who is not a lawyer, joins SALSA from Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, where he served as director of development and executive director. In an announcement, SALSA touted Martinez’s more than two decades of nonprofit leadership, fundraising and advocacy. He raised millions of dollars for organizations across Texas and doubled the endowment at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen the impact that strong fundraising and committed advocacy can have on communities,” Martinez said. “At SALSA, every dollar raised translates into more legal help for families who otherwise would have nowhere to turn. That’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”
According to SALSA, Martinez became the first Texan and first Hispanic recipient of the Vilar Fellowship at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He later served as Manager for International Programming, where he oversaw global cultural initiatives, including the Festival of China.
Locally, Martinez played a key role in public health advocacy as part of the Smoke-Free San Antonio campaign, which led to the passage of the city’s smoke-free ordinance in 2009. He went on to serve as State Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association, where he focused on statewide clean air policy initiatives.
A U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Martinez studied at San Antonio College and graduated from the University of Phoenix. He was named one of the San Antonio Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars.
Now in its fifth year, SALSA experienced a significant funding shortfall earlier this year, bringing the organization to the brink of closure. A public plea for donations ultimately provided support to sustain its operations.