Jirandy Martinez

Jirandy Martinez is the Executive Director of the Community Resource Center (CRC). She began working with the Center in 2008 as an English as a Second Language (ESL) volunteer teacher.

As a native Mamaroneck resident and the daughter of hardworking Colombian immigrants, Ms. Martinez developed a deep passion for social justice and immigrant rights at a young age. Her heritage has informed her ability to make connections between obstacles she has overcome and issues that affect marginalized groups, allowing her to bring humility, voice and grit to her work.

Ms. Martinez dedicated 10 years supporting the implementation of the Center’s crucial workforce development initiative, the Building Our Future Program, while spearheading adult-literacy initiatives and English programs – outreach that strikes at the heart of the immigrant communities’ efforts to adapt and thrive.

Her work in the nonprofit field inspired her to complete her Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.

Since becoming Executive Director, she and her team have strengthened and expanded the Center, whose mission is to empower immigrant and low-income families by providing the resources and advocacy to help them become self-reliant and thriving members of the community. With the strong team at CRC, she has developed tremendous community support for the organization, serving over 3,800 individuals in Westchester County through grassroots direct service and partnerships with over 47 community organizations.

CRC has become a formidable force for structural social, political, and economic change in the lives of immigrants in Westchester and across New York. Under Ms. Martinez's leadership, CRC has been at the forefront of the fight for Green Light, driver licenses for immigrants without documentation, and the Fund for Excluded Workers – fundamentally improving the lives and empowering immigrants of Westchester.

Most recently, Ms. Martinez demonstrated tremendous strength and leadership as she and the CRC helped over 300 community members devastated by Hurricane Ida, even while their location was and remains destroyed by the storm.

Ms. Martinez believes deeply in the work of Community Resource Center, and her goal is that the organization continues the legacy of empowerment and support so that all can thrive in their local community.