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Sarena Martinez

Graduate Research Analyst

Sarena Martinez is a Graduate Research Analyst at the Nowak Metro Finance Lab focused on supporting the Building Back Better Regional Challenge federal grant engagement. Previously, Sarena led strategic projects for the City of Birmingham's (Alabama) Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity where she managed a portfolio of projects supporting and building an inclusive economy. A 2017 Venture for America fellow, Sarena helped launch 2-year and 4-year scholarships at Innovate Birmingham, a $6 million federal grant program designed to train 1000 under- and unemployed youth for tech jobs. Sarena holds her A.A. from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, a B.A. in Psychology and French from Vanderbilt University and an MSc in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford. A Rhodes scholar, Sarena is currently reading for a DPhil in American History at the University of Oxford focused on studying the 20th century sinews of urban power in Black mayoralties in Black majority cities.