Lidia S. Martinez

As Manager of Community Outreach for Southwest Airlines, Lidia was responsible for the local and regional community outreach across the country.

Lidia established and maintained a portfolio of highly respected strategic partnerships with civic, business, and philanthropic organizations, as well as major universities, to achieve mutual strategic objectives. For almost 20 years, she worked with stakeholders across the country to ensure that Southwest Airlines maintained a visible leadership position within key communities.Lidia set the standard for Southwest’s outreach and corporate social responsibility.

In 2020, Lidia retired after 30 years of service to Southwest Airlines.She served in the Marketing and Communications departments in Dallas, Chicago and San Diego.In recognition of her service to the State of California and the San Diego region, Lidia has received various proclamations from the California Assembly, the City of San Diego, and her member of Congress.Lidia’s impact in the San Diego region was recently celebrated by being honored with the San Diego Business Journal’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award; the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Herb Klein Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021; and the Latino Leaders Network Inaugural Champion Award in 2021.In 2022, The California State University Board of Trustees and San Diego State University (SDSU) President Adela de la Torre bestowed the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) degree upon Lidia for her passion and commitment to the San Diego region as well as the State of California.

Lidia continues to mentor leaders across the country, especially women in the nonprofit world and emerging leaders.She continues to pay it forward by being involved with a variety of organizations dedicated to empowering underrepresented communities.San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria recently appointed Lidia to a three-year term on the San Diego Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors. She also serves on the Board of Directors of For All of Us, SDSU’s The Campanile Foundation and Latino Leaders Network, a national organization based in DC.Lidia is on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board, the San Diego Center for Children CEO Advisory Council, and The San Diego Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund Leadership Council Executive Committee.Lidia chairs the San Diego Unified School District’s Schools Naming Committee.