News Release
National Park Service
News Release Date: October 12, 2023
Contact: PWR_Public_Affairs@nps.gov
SAN FRANCISCO – The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Sally Martinez as the new permanent superintendent of Honouliuli National Historic Site beginning November 2023.
Martinez has been the acting superintendent of Honouliuli National Historic Site since July 2023. Before that, she managed the Volunteers-in-Parks program for seven years at Yosemite National Park.
“Sally’s past work developing and maintaining close working relationships with communities and her commitment to being inclusive, empathetic, and collaborative make her a great fit for this position,” said Acting Pacific West Regional Director Randy Lavasseur. “She has already started developing strong relationships with the site’s partners and communities since assuming the acting superintendent role in July.”
In her role, Martinez will oversee a site dedicated to telling the history of incarceration, martial law, and the experience of prisoners of war in Hawaiʻi during World War II. It will be a place to reflect on wartime experiences.
“I feel honored to receive this assignment to Honouliuli National Historic Site as a personal inspiration and a kuleana, or responsibility,” Martinez said. “I deeply esteem the strong survivor and descendant communities connected to this place, the dedicated volunteers who have worked to champion its preservation, and the NPS staff involved in its planning.”
“It is humbling to be entrusted with the next stage of safeguarding and developing of this important site,” she added.
Martinez began her 18-year career with the National Park Service as an intern with the Student Conservation Association at Glacier National Park. She worked many field seasons there as a park ranger in interpretation and the backcountry.
In 2012, she joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer and served overseas in the birthplace of coffee, Bonga, Kefa, Ethiopia. She extended her service in the Peace Corps as a volunteer leader in Addis Ababa for an additional year and returned home in 2015.
Martinez is known as a dedicated and skillful communicator and facilitator. She is committed to the principles of cross-cultural exchange and community capacity building. While at Yosemite, she advocated for workforce and outreach initiatives focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.
She graduated from Oberlin College’s Environmental Studies program and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Montana.
Martinez enjoys hiking, cooking, and learning languages in her spare time. She looks forward to becoming conversant in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and exploring the beautiful mountains and valleys of Oʻahu. She is also a talented violinist who has performed with ensembles worldwide, including on the Carnegie Hall stage. She is married to her husband Alex Martinez. They have two one-eyed cats.
To learn more about Honouliuli National Historic Site, please go to www.nps.gov/hono.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 425 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: October 12, 2023