Martinez to Chair Public Service Board

Richard O. Martinez

Richard O. Martinez, P.E., has been elected Public Service Board chair. He replaces the former chair, Ruben Guerra, whose resignation was effective August 31.

The City Council first appointed Martinez to the Public Service Board in 2003. He was reappointed in 2007. He held the positions of assistant secretary treasurer and vice chair before being elected to his current position.

“We have an outstanding Board with an excellent track record,” he said. We’ll continue working as a team for our community.”

Martinez graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After graduation, he worked on the space shuttle program in New Orleans at Martin Marietta Aerospace before returning to El Paso to begin his career with the federal government.

He was subsequently assigned to various engineering positions at White Sands Missile Range, Fort Bliss and the Pentagon, where he was acting assistant director for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization Test and Evaluation Directorate. He is currently deputy director of the White Sands Future Forces Division, where he oversees a team of engineers, technicians and administrative staff.

Martinez is active in a number of civic and professional organizations. He is president of the UTEP Alumni Association Board of Directors and an El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board member. He was also one of the founders of the UTEP chapter of MAES, the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, and has held positions at the local and national levels.

Martinez and his wife Gloria are parents to a son, Richard, and a daughter, Michelle.