Nonprofits and Education
President
Milwaukee Area Technical College | Milwaukee
Vicki Martin leads Milwaukee Area Technical College, the state’s largest technical college, with more than 25,000 students. In recent years, Martin has overseen the launch and expansion of MATC Promise, a public-private partnership that provides free tuition to eligible students. Martin is also on the steering committee of the Higher Education Regional Alliance, the collaborative representing southeastern Wisconsin’s colleges and universities.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; master’s, University of North Dakota and Cardinal Stritch University; doctorate, UW-Madison
Book recommendation: “’Dare to Lead’ by Brene Brown. It is full of great research about vulnerability and its importance to leadership practice as well as developing skills in empathy and compassion at a time when we are so siloed and divided.”
First job: “My very first job was a work-study job in high school as part of their program. I was the first female to participate in it, and I was in the secretarial science program in high school.”
Hobby/Passion: “Right now I am working on learning better painting techniques. I was an art major my first year in college and I am now getting back into my first passion.”
Business leaders you would like to have dinner with: “Mary Barra, the first female CEO of General Motors, because she worked her way up in the company from a co-op position there when she was 18 years old. (And) Michelle Obama. I have read her book and have numerous questions to ask about her life since she wrote it.”