Stevens Martinez has come a long way from his days as a high school student in Glen Cove, navigating personal challenges and charting an unexpected course to public service. Today he serves as deputy director for intergovernmental affairs on Long Island for Gov. Kathy Hochul, acting as the administration’s liaison to the region.
Martinez, 27, describes himself as the governor’s “ambassador” to Long Island, overseeing three regional representatives — one in Nassau County and two in Suffolk — who identify community concerns and help craft solutions at the state level. Before his promotion in 2023, he was Nassau County’s regional representative, responsible for maintaining relationships with elected officials and stakeholders, and for promoting Hochul’s agenda while relaying local feedback to Albany.
“The best way I describe my job to people is to think of it like the U.S. embassy system,” Martinez said. “Embassies represent our interests abroad, and also provide real-time insight to policymakers in Washington. That’s what I do here on Long Island. We serve as the eyes and ears for the governor.”
His deep-rooted connection to the region is crucial to his work. Born in Glen Cove Hospital, Martinez has lived in the city his entire life. His parents, originally from El Salvador, fled the country’s brutal civil war in the late 1980s and built a life in Glen Cove, which has long been a hub of immigrant communities.
“Glen Cove has always had this draw for immigrants, whether it was the Italian and Irish communities of the past or the Hispanic community today,” Martinez said. “My parents came here with nothing, worked hard and raised us here.”
At Glen Cove High School, Martinez was an active and ambitious leader. He served as class treasurer and president of the school’s DECA business club, and was the first male cheerleader. He was named Homecoming king as a senior.
But his journey through high school was not without its challenges. “I was that kid who spoke up in class but didn’t do his homework,” he recalled. “I struggled a lot, academically and personally. But everything changed when I came out as gay during my sophomore year.”
Coming to terms with his identity gave Martinez a newfound sense of purpose and confidence, pushing him to improve his studies and engage more in school activities. His teachers played a pivotal role in his transformation.
“Some of my teachers later told me they always knew, and when I came out, they were just like, ‘OK, great. Now let’s get back to focusing on your studies,’” Martinez recounted. “I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but looking back, I love that they treated me that way — like nothing changed, because it really didn’t.”
Glen Cove High English teacher Jason Bieder remembers Martinez as a student who found his footing over time.
“Freshman year, it was Stevens against the world,” Bieder said. “By senior year, he was a leader among students, involved in everything. Once he locked into something, there was no stopping him.”
After graduating in 2015, Martinez attended Hofstra University, initially majoring in finance, but he found himself uninspired by business school. The 2016 presidential election marked a turning point. Alarmed by then-candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric about immigration, Martinez became deeply engaged in politics.
“That election woke me up,” he said. “When Trump spoke about Mexicans, I knew he wasn’t just talking about one nationality. He was using it to describe all Latinos. It hit close to home.”
Seeking ways to get involved, Martinez volunteered for Tom Suozzi’s congressional campaign in 2016. The experience ignited a passion for public service, leading him to change his major to public policy. He credits Hofstra political science professor Craig Burnett with being a mentor who helped steer him toward a career in government.
“He was one of the first students in our public policy program,” Burnett said of Martinez. “He was a trailblazer, and he set the standard for what students in the program could achieve.”
With Burnett’s guidance, Martinez spent a semester in Albany as a legislative intern, which solidified his desire to work in government. His first job was in the Nassau County comptroller’s office, where he helped manage county finances during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Fresh out of college, I was thrown into crisis management,” Martinez said. “It was trial by fire, but I learned so much.”
When the Democratic losses in Nassau County in 2021 left him unemployed, he pivoted to a role at NBC Universal in government affairs. Less than a year later, the governor’s office called.
“They were looking for someone to be the Nassau County regional representative, and apparently my name kept coming up,” Martinez said. “It was an honor, and I took the job two months before Governor Hochul’s first election.”
Now, as a deputy director, Martinez remains deeply connected to his hometown, engaging with the community and even leading Hochul on a tour of his former high school during a visit last July.
Burnett believes Martinez’s rise is due in no small part to his character. “He’s warm, patient, thoughtful — exactly the kind of person we need in politics,” Burnett said. “He genuinely cares about the work he does.”
