The Whole Child (TWC) Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Dr. Maria Martinez-Poulin, Superintendent of Whittier City School District as a Board member. The Board is responsible for providing foresight and oversight in guiding the organization as its advances towards its mission to help families raise emotionally and physically healthy children and have a place to call home.
Dr. Maria Martinez-Poulin has served in public education for 30 years and is a champion of equity and access for children and their families. Before she was appointed as Whittier City School District’s Superintendent, she held key positions in Orange County as an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, as an elementary principal, and as high school assistant principal. She taught high school English and elementary school in Los Angeles County.
“Having an educator of Dr. Martinez-Poulin’s caliber is an incredible addition to our Board. She deeply shares a commitment to helping the whole child to reach his or her full potential and sees the strong connection between education and mental health,” stated Constanza Pachon, MBA, TWC’s CEO. “On behalf of The Whole Child’s Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Martinez-Poulin to the Board. As a school superintendent committed to bolstering student academic achievement by reinforcing their emotional well-being and social connections, she will be an experienced advocate in creating a path of hope for the children we serve. She will enable us to strengthen our relationships with school systems in the Greater Los Angeles area,” added Monica Alfaro-Welling, TWC’s Board Chairperson.
Dr. Martinez-Poulin earned her Doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. She earned her Masters in Education at Loyola Marymount University and her Bachelors in English, Literature, and Composition at California State University – Los Angeles. Dr. Martinez-Poulin was named Women of the Year by the State of California 57th Assembly District for outstanding service and dedication to the people of the State of California. She was also awarded Administrator of the Year in Curriculum and Instruction in Orange County by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) in 2017. She is the proud parent of three adult children and shares her home with two dogs.