Frances Scarlen Martinez is a career educator committed to uplifting the voices and needs of underserved communities. She attended KIPP Academy in the South Bronx when it first opened its doors. She graduated from St. Marks School, a private boarding school in Southboro, MA. She has a BA in Spanish from Manhattan College and an MA in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. Scarlen currently works to support AmeriCorps service members in their first or second year of teaching, helping prepare them to be effective in their new cultural surroundings. She is also an author of diverse children’s books and published her first children’s book, The Tale of El Chiquitin, in 2021. Scarlen is still writing and is now working on launching @scarlensays, a platform for teachers, parents and education advocates to share resources on social media. She currently resides in Washington DC with her daughter Chloe.