David Martinez III serves as Director of Capacity Building and Community Engagement, working with community-based leaders, organizations, and coalitions to increase capacity and civic participation.

Prior to Vitalyst, Martinez was project manager for the Center for the Future of Arizona, and community engagement manager for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. He is a Flinn-Brown Fellow with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and involved with the Arizona Community Foundation’s Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy and the Desert Botanical Garden.
Originally from Marana, Arizona and one of six children, David is a first-generation college student earning a B.A. in Secondary Education, Political Science and Journalism from The University of Arizona. He served as Student Regent on the Arizona Board of Regents, worked at the UA Office of Institutional Equity, and interned with Congressman Raul Grijalva.

Martinez currently lives in Central Phoenix and as a localist, loves to explore Arizona.