Maria Martinez

Maria leads Breakthrough Energy’s clean fuels portfolio and provides policy and advocacy expertise to advance the drive towards a net-zero economy. Prior to joining Gates Ventures and Breakthrough Energy, Maria served as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) where she led in the planning, development, and execution of agency policy. While at DEEP, she oversaw implementation of an Executive Order which expanded the scope of the Governor's Council on Climate Change (GC3) to address climate change mitigation and adaptation in the state. Before DEEP, Maria worked in the Washington D.C. office of the Natural Resources Defense Council on international climate policy and cross-programmatic strategy.

Maria holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University and a B.A. in Sustainability Studies and Political Science from the University of Florida. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, practicing yoga, and testing out new recipes. She is a Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellow and serves on the foundation’s Fellows Advisory Committee.