She focuses on access and support for underserved populations.

Her work began in 1970 in the Chicago Public School system where she worked with 1st graders in schools with few resources. She had no formal training, so resourcefulness and creativity became a necessary skillset. Her subsequent work at National Louis University in Chicago introduced her to adult learners. These students were often from underserved communities, and she learned what it meant for them to have access to educational opportunity. As a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa, following the end of Apartheid, Martha worked with faculty to introduce strategies for teaching their “new” students from the townships who had been underprepared for university study.

As a consultant in Chicago, Martha collaborated with Instituto Progreso to create a college-level educational program to serve local Spanish-speaking residents in Pilsen. Based on this work, she was awarded the “Instituto Spirit Award” in 2018.

Her writings are evolving from nonfiction to fiction, but the theme consistently highlights the importance of educational access and support. Two of her nonfiction writings were cited as classics in the field of developmental education. Dreaming Forward, was on the Barnes & Noble bookshelf and the subject of an NPR interview. Please visit www.trppassociates.com for a link to her interview.

Martha currently resides for much of the year in Mexico with her husband where they founded a tuition-free preschool for local children and are working hard to improve their Spanish. They have two wonderful children and four awesome grandchildren.