Rebecca is the Executive Director of the National Association of System Heads, an association of chief
executives of the college and university systems of public higher education in the United States. NASH and its
partners have worked hard to form a network of presidents, chancellors, executive directors, and
commissioners. Together, this group supports leaders and their peers in the unique roles they play. NASH
and its affiliates boast more than 40 years of collaboration, system heads in 47 systems, more than 5.6 million
students, and support for public multi-campus systems which enroll 75% of all students in public four-year
colleges and universities.
Dr. Martin served as Director of Higher Education and Senior Fellow at the Education Delivery Institute (EDI)
from 2010 to 2015, an innovative non-profit organization that focused on implementing large-scale system
change in public education. Before joining EDI, Dr. Martin served as Senior Vice President for Academic
Affairs for the University of Wisconsin System, which includes two doctoral universities, 11 comprehensive
campuses and 13 freshman-sophomore colleges. Under her leadership, the System expanded the use of
high-impact practices and aggressively focused on improving the retention and graduation rates of
underserved students.
Dr. Martin served for five years as Provost and Vice Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside,
where she also taught as a tenured professor in political science. Earlier, she served at the University of
Vermont, holding several positions including Senior Vice Provost, Interim Provost, and Acting President. She
also spent several years in the California State University System. She earned her doctorate in Public
Administration from the University of Southern California, her master’s degree in Librarianship from San Jose
State University, and her bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and history from the University of
California-Santa Cruz. Her research interests include organizational change, equity in higher education, and
community-based learning.
