State Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, on behalf of the Wisconsin State Assembly, presented UMOS President and CEO Lupe Martinez with the Hometown Hero Award in a ceremony at the state capitol in Madison on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Martinez was honored for his 50-plus years of service dedicated to improving the lives and working conditions of migrant and seasonal farmworkers & other underrepresented populations.
Martinez has served as president and CEO of United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS), a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides programs and services which improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of under-served populations, for 46 years. For decades, he has worked to advocate for farmworkers, for employment, housing, education and other programs that help under-served communities.
Martinez is also the chairman of the National Farmworker Alliance, on the board of Farmworker Justice, and is chairman of MAFO, a national partnership of farmworker and rural organizations. He’s also served on the board of the National Council of La Raza and as the interim chair of the Wisconsin Council on Migrant Labor.
