Irvine Valley College welcomes new Director of Economic and Workforce Development Martha Payán-Hernández. Martha is a multi-faceted professional with experience implementing and managing grant initiatives focusing on Career and Technical Education (CTE) and workforce training projects/programs. She has built a rewarding career in post-secondary education with extensive experience in CTE, workforce development, and adult education in both credit and noncredit areas, as well as adjunct teaching experience. In her role at IVC, Martha will serve as the college’s primary external workforce and training representative to regional agencies, consortia, partnerships, and workforce groups. In addition, she will serve as a resource to faculty to understand labor market trends, supporting marketing of specific business sectors and identifying future CTE opportunities for adult learners.
Martha has been working with the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) since 2005. Recently at Fullerton College, she served as the Regional Director of Employer Engagement. In this role, she strengthened existing collaborations between employers, workforce development providers, and the colleges of the Orange County Regional Consortium (OCRC) to develop and support CTE programs by prioritizing intentional and effective employer engagement. Prior to that, from 2017-2021, Martha was the Special Projects CTE Director at Fullerton College. She was instrumental in implementing several marketing strategies and created a new vision for CTE programs while promoting awareness on a local and regional level. Her efforts resulted in numerous positive outcomes and an increase in CTE enrollment.
From 2005-2015, Martha served as the CTE Grants Project Manager with the North Orange Continuing Education (NOCE) non-credit adult education CTE program. Additionally, her previous work experience also includes coordinating CTE and workforce training marketing activities for Cerritos College, El Camino College, Saddleback College, and the San Bernardino Community College District.
Martha is a strong and passionate advocate for CTE, diligently striving to promote awareness of career exploration and workforce training opportunities. She is a proud product of a community college CTE program, and a first-generation college graduate. Martha earned her master’s in Education, with an emphasis in CTE and Workforce Development from California State University, San Bernardino. Additionally, she has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from California State University, Long Beach, and graduated from East Los Angeles College with an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies.