She began her professional career with a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her time at Mizzou sparked her interest in higher education so upon graduation she began her MS.ED degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy Instruction. She was an Elementary Education teacher for 7 years and then decided to complete her Ed.D at Illinois State University in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on technology integration. Dr. Martin has worked at SIUE since 2013 in the Elementary Education department.