Judith Martinez, Ph.D. is a Woman Who Means Business

Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Dr. Judith Martinez arrived in the U.S. at age 14 to attend a rigorous boarding school in Texas, simultaneously learning English and Shakespeare while working to earn her scholarship. The determination and discipline she forged helped her build a life rooted in resilience, community leadership and personal connection.

After studying French in Quebec and attending law school back in Mexico, Martinez’s path brought her to Springfield in 2002, where fate shaped her future. The late Dr. Robert L. Norton recruited Martinez to teach at Missouri State. He picked her up from the airport and took her to eat at Avanzare, brand new at the time. Exactly one year later, Martinez married Chuy Garcia, a chef she met there that night.

Martinez’s perseverance continued to shine. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas while raising two children and working full-time, a strict requirement of her visa. She commuted twice weekly between Springfield and Fayetteville, often with her kids in tow. The children sat outside the classroom, and sometimes professors let them watch movies. “I found angels along the way to help. I like to say that my name is on the degree, but my kids and husband earned the Ph.D. with me,” Martinez shares.

Drawing on that challenging, isolating time, Martinez went on a mission to create meaningful connections for others. She founded Missouri State University’s Bear Bridge Mentoring Program, designed to support diverse faculty and cultivate collaboration. “It was born out of pain,” she recalls. Today, the program helps faculty network, support one another and build community off-campus. There’s even a parents’ group that meets on evenings and weekends, for faculty who don’t have childcare.

That passion for helping others integrate into 417-land stems from Martinez’s own experience of being embraced by the community, including a Thanksgiving invitation from a stranger. Twenty years later, Martinez and her husband keep that tradition alive with an open invitation for anyone to come enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at their home. Martinez never learned to cook—remember, her husband is a talented chef—but did learn to make Thanksgiving classics because she loves the tradition. Her favorites? Green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. This year, the couple plans to host at Garcia’s new Italian-Mexican fusion restaurant, Show Me Chuy.

On December 11, 2024, fittingly the day before our interview, Martinez became a U.S. citizen. “I love being an American,” she says. “I admire the culture and the American way of thinking.” Her disciplined nature, refined through years of gymnastics and Taekwondo, continues to drive her, starting each day at 4:30 a.m. with yoga and a devotional.