She is the author of “Strengthening Educational and Career Pathways for DC Youth” and has co-authored numerous other publications, such as “Envisioning Opportunity:  Three Options for a Community College in Washington, DC,” “Employment and Housing Mobility:  Promising Practices for the Twenty-First Century Economy” (with the Mobility Agenda), “Reducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within,” “Leaders Among Us: Developing a Community Health Worker Program in Washington, D.C.,” “Health Status and Access to Care among Low-Income Washington, DC Residents,” “Thin the Soup or Shorten the Line:  Washington Area Nonprofits Adapt to Uncertain Times,” and “Calling 211: Enhancing the Washington Region's Safety Net After 9/11.”  She was detailed temporarily to the Council of the District of Columbia in 2007 to assist the Committee on Workforce Development and Government Operations.

Prior to joining Brookings, Martha was a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she focused on welfare policy.   She has a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from Colorado College.