Dr. Martin is a first-generation college graduate who attended college on a football scholarship at the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he received his bachelor's degree and his first master's degree. He received his PhD from Howard University with concentrations in Sociology and Applied Statistics, and his MPH from the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health with concentrations in Population Health and Epidemiology. He is a proud graduate of Jennings High School in Jennings, Louisiana. Dr. Martin is a former faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, the founding director of the J. McDonald Williams Institute at the Foundation for Community Empowerment, and the past CEO and President of the Education is Freedom Foundation. He serves on the board of Frazier Revitalization, Inc and as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.