Loretta Martinez Named Inaugural Senior Vice President and General Counsel of LMU

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Loretta P. Martinez, J.D., an accomplished attorney with more than 25 years of experience, primarily as general counsel in public and private higher education institutions, will be the inaugural senior vice president and general counsel of Loyola Marymount University.

As LMU’s head legal officer, Martinez will be an integral member of the university’s executive leadership team, addressing essential issues that impact the community, and providing counsel on legal matters, governance, and related topics. Her appointment is effective April 1, 2024.

“SVP Martinez’s breadth of knowledge and expertise will serve LMU well as we build an in-house legal function that proactively engages key leaders and units to assess and mitigate legal risk and optimize our legal compliance in support of our university’s values, mission, and strategic goals,” said LMU President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D. 

Martinez joins LMU from the University of New Mexico, where, as general counsel, she has led an office encompassing five campuses and the UNM Health System. She advises the Board of Regents, university president, CEO for the UNM Health System, campus chancellors, and senior leadership, and she oversees the public records office, privacy office, and some 100 cases in active litigation.

“I am excited to bring my background as a higher education general counsel to a university with LMU’s national reputation and impact,” Martinez said. “I resonate with LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount mission and look forward to establishing a trusted legal resource that ensures that the university succeeds in accomplishing its strategic priorities, ultimately igniting a brighter world.”

Prior to her arrival at the University of New Mexico, Martinez served as general counsel and vice chancellor for legal affairs at the City University of New York, where she led an in-house legal staff and collaborated with counterpart in-house counsels at several CUNY institutions. At Colorado College, Martinez served as general counsel and board secretary for more than eight years. 

She has also worked in the private sector, specializing in public and private P-20 education law, and served as outside general counsel to elected officials, Colorado cities and towns, and other governmental and private entities on a broad range of public law topics. Martinez earned her Juris Doctorate at Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Yale University. 

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SOURCE Loyola Marymount University