NSF Unidata Welcomes Shantel Martinez as Community Services & Partnerships Manager

Shantel Martinez joined the NSF Unidata Program Center on October 27, 2026, as Community Services & Partnerships Manager. She brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic program leadership, partnership development, and community engagement across scientific, governmental, nonprofit, and higher education organizations.

Shantel is no stranger to UCAR or the scientific community. From 2022 to 2025, she served as an ACO Specialist II in UCAR’s Office of Access, Culture, and Opportunity, where she built and maintained partnerships among federal agencies, universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and community organizations. She also helped plan and coordinate scientific conferences and collaborative initiatives, including the Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Science annual conference, which brought together more than 250 participants from across the country and around the world.

Before returning to UCAR, Shantel worked at the Denver Public Library, where she led strategic initiatives, strengthened organizational partnerships, and developed systems to support community engagement and collaboration. Her previous experience also includes directing first-generation student programs at the University of Colorado Boulder and managing the Otter Cross Cultural Center at California State University, Monterey Bay. Throughout her career, she has focused on building relationships, bringing people together around shared goals, and developing sustainable programs that respond to the needs of the communities they serve.

Shantel holds a Ph.D. in Communications Research and an M.Ed. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as bachelor's degrees in History and Comparative History of Ideas from the University of Washington. She is also an active member of the American Meteorological Society and has contributed to professional development and leadership initiatives within the scientific community.

In her new role at NSF Unidata, Shantel will draw on her experience in partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning to help strengthen connections between the NSF Unidata Program Center and the diverse community of educators, researchers, and others who rely on its data services and software. Her background in facilitating collaboration across institutions and disciplines will be a valuable asset as Unidata continues working with its community to understand evolving needs and shape the program's future.

Outside of work, Shantel is an avid reader and is currently working her way through her 43rd book of the year! She and her family enjoy traveling both internationally and domestically, with recent adventures taking them to places such as Vietnam, Japan, and Mexico. They recently returned from a salmon-fishing trip to Alaska. Shantel also enjoys gardening and, for the past four years, has shared an interest in ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, with her husband.

Please join us in welcoming Shantel back to UCAR and to the NSF Unidata Program Center team!