STEPHANIE MARTINEZ SALES AND REPLENISHMENT ANALYST, PARIS PRESENTS, INC.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Stephanie Martinez moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2011 and took a director of operations role at a local entrepreneurial company. She has always been very driven, having come from humble beginnings, but over time she learned the hard way there is more to life than work and school. It is a personal mission of hers to inspire others and bring out the best in themselves. “As a Latina, I grew up with such few role models outside of my family, and I was determined to change that, starting with myself,” she said.
Education: B.A. Journalism/Public Relations, University of North Texas M.B.A. Supply Chain Management and Marketing Analytics, University of Arkansas
Quality you admire most in women: Resilience. Women have the ability to bounce back and recover from some of the most unexpectedly challenging or painful experiences.
First big break: I originally graduated in a recession, so I took an unpaid internship with American Airlines. Most people had no paying jobs to offer at the time, so this was a great, humbling lesson to learn and taught me to be flexible in the face of unforeseeable life changes and to leave my ego at the door! In the end, I was the only one of five interns who was hired into the corporate communications department. I was able to learn so much about what I was looking for in a career and in some ways, what I did not what in a career.
What changes have you seen within your workplace in regard to empowering women? I’m blessed to work in an environment with strong, independent women, supportive men, and the most amazing advocate as our leader, Debbie Alsup. She makes sure all our needs are met, we are heard, and there is no such thing as discrimination or gender inequality on her watch. Advocating women doesn’t mean inequality for men; it means creating a level playing field and treating everyone with the same respect. If we begin with a foundation of equality, then each person can build their career on merit, not an unfair disadvantage.
In what ways have you professionally had to pivot during the current pandemic? Video call fatigue is a real thing and paying attention to personal health and work-life balance has been a real struggle. I force myself to get up, move around, go check the mail just to get outside and do some yoga. Otherwise my entire week is living in front of a monitor, and you can’t sustain that lifestyle.
Best advice you've ever received: “Not everyone is going to like you.” When you learn to stop people-pleasing you can focus on what truly matters.
What nonprofits are you involved with and why? Children’s Safety Center is near and dear to my heart. I volunteer for the Dream Big Charity Gala committee to help raise money for children who have suffered sexual abuse. The American Heart Association also is extremely important to me, as diabetes runs in my family and my grandfather is a heart attack survivor.