Master Chief Laura A, Martinez retired after 32 years of service in 2011. She was the recipient of the Pioneer Award at the 2009 Women of Color STEM Conference.
Martinez joined the U.S. Navy in 1979 and was promoted to master chief in 2000. She served as command master chief at four different commands.
As the 12th Force Master Chief and director of the Hospital Corps in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, she was the principal advisor to the Navy Surgeon General on the manning, training, and utilization of 25,000 enlisted healthcare providers.
She served as an advisor in implementing the largest consolidation of enlisted medical training at the Medical Education and Training Campus in San Antonio, Texas.
She was also a member of the Navy's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Working Group.
On June 12, 2014, Martinez was inducted into the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, which represents all the military branches to the Secretary of Defense.
After 30 years of active duty service, Master Chief Evelyn P. Banks celebrated her retirement in 2013. She enlisted in the United States Navy on January 28, 1984. She received the Distinguished Achiever Award at the 2005 Women of Color STEM Conference.
