When Maria Martinez finished defending her dissertation in early April, the moment didn’t feel the way she expected. She closed her laptop in her own home with only her dog there beside her.
There was no grand celebration. No immediate sense of arrival. She mostly felt a surreal stillness.
“Now what?” she thought.
Everything had changed. And yet, in that moment, everything felt the same.
So she got up, left the house to celebrate with friends, and called her parents in Spain. The milestone was very real, even if it took a moment for Maria to grasp it.
That moment represented years of perseverance, growth, and navigating uncharted territory. It was forging a trail for future facilities management professionals, especially women at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Leading Where Few Women Have Gone Before
As Director of Space and Asset Data Management, Martinez operates in a field where women are often underrepresented, especially in leadership.
Today, she is the only female director in Facilities Services.
That reality didn’t always feel like something she could name. For much of her career, Martinez focused on adapting. Often subconsciously, she spent time learning how to succeed in environments that weren’t built with her in mind.
“I never used my gender,” she says. “I just tried to fit into the environment.”
But through her doctoral research on women in leadership, something shifted.
She found language for her experiences, validation for challenges she had navigated quietly, and a clearer vision for how she wants to lead moving forward.
Now, she’s not just navigating the space; she’s helping reshape it.
She’s advocating for perspectives that haven’t always been heard and leading by example to ensure future leaders feel seen, supported, and equipped.
A Degree That Means More Here
Martinez now joins a small group of leaders within Facilities Services who hold terminal degrees, alongside Michael Howze and Antonio Yancey.
In many academic units, that might not stand out, but in an operational department like Facilities Services, it carries a different kind of weight.
Facilities Services is often viewed through the lens of trades and operations. While those roles are critical, her achievement highlights something broader: the department is also home to strategic thinkers, researchers, and leaders committed to continuous learning.
Her doctorate reinforces the idea that innovation and expertise exist at every level of university – not just in classrooms or labs.
It also strengthens credibility across campus, bridging the gap between operational work and academic partnership.
Earning It the Hard Way
Martinez’s path to her PhD was anything but easy. She began considering the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic, while working in the Emergency Operations Center. Tasked with helping reconfigure classrooms for social distancing, she collaborated with teams across campus in new ways.
That experience sparked something deeper.
At the time, she held the university’s only GIS-focused role. The exposure to broader systems and decision-making processes made her want to understand more as preparation for whatever might come next.
With this in mind, she took the leap, but the biggest challenge of this journey came after her acceptance into her program.
In 2023, Maria was promoted into a brand-new role as Director of Space Management. This opportunity came with steep learning curves and high expectations at the same time, she was enrolled in two demanding doctoral courses.
By the end of the semester, she was exhausted.
“I wasn’t sure I could continue,” she admits.
With guidance from her advisor, she made a critical adjustment, choosing to scale back to one class to create space to breathe. That decision helped her regain momentum and ultimately continue forward.
It was a turning point, not just academically, but personally.
Learning to Set Boundaries—and Give Grace
For Martinez, success wasn’t just about discipline. It was about unlearning habits that no longer served her.
A self-described people pleaser, she had to learn how to say no, and that’s something that didn’t come naturally.
She also had to examine every aspect of her life to set firm priorities.
As a mother, her son always came first. When he was home, he had her full attention. Balancing that with a leadership role and doctoral work required intentional boundaries, and the humility to accept that balance wouldn’t always be perfect.
“Give yourself some grace,” she says. “When something isn’t going well in one area, it’s okay. Own it, make a plan, and move forward.”
That mindset carried her through the most difficult seasons.
Lifting Others as She Climbs
While her research may not directly connect to space and asset management, its impact shows up in how she leads every day.
Martinez is focused on developing others, but she’s especially interested in building up future leaders within Facilities Services.
She wants her journey to serve as proof that growth is always possible.
That includes encouraging colleagues to take advantage of opportunities like the university’s educational fee waiver, which can make continued education accessible regardless of role or title.
Her message is simple: don’t limit yourself.
What Comes Next
As Martinez prepares to walk across the stage in May, she’s most proud of one thing:
She finished.
And she’s already looking ahead.
What started as a plan to rest has turned into new goals. She’s already making strides toward publishing her research, continuing her work in leadership studies, and possibly even teaching in the future.
But first, there’s time to celebrate.
After graduation, she’ll travel to Spain, bringing her doctoral regalia with her for another celebration with family.
While her dissertation defense may have ended with a quiet “now what,” her graduation is the beginning of so much more.
Maria is a leader who didn’t just earn a degree. She’s actively helping to redefine what leadership looks like in Facilities Services, and the future is bright.