About the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives
The Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives connects Marylanders to economic, volunteer, and human service opportunities through government, business, and nonprofit partners and conducts community affairs and engagement within the executive branch of Maryland government. The office also houses the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs, the Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Governor’s Ethnic Commissions, and Faith Outreach.
Appointed in July 2023 by Governor Wes Moore, Y. Maria Martinez led Maryland's efforts to expand economic opportunity for small, minority, women-, and veteran-owned businesses while overseeing procurement programs across 73 agencies and chairing the Subcabinet on Socioeconomic Procurement Participation. In February 2026, she was appointed the State's first Special Secretary for Public Engagement and Community Initiatives. A first-generation American and founder of Respira, a multimillion-dollar sleep medicine company, Maria brings 25+ years of private sector leadership and a deep commitment to equity and inclusion.