My Story
An investor, philanthropist, and public servant. Edwards believes “to whom much is given, much is required.” Edwards was recognized as the first African-American female trading broker for Merrill Lynch on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2004, often executing volatile stock orders of more than $50MM in daily trading value. At the time, she was also identified as the only actively trading African-American woman seatholder among its then 1,366 members.
Edwards now serves as Chief of Strategic Partnerships at Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), whose mission is to provide community economic development to underserved people and communities. Previously Martina was Vice-President, Corporate Partnerships for Points of Light - the world’s largest global organization dedicated to volunteer service, putting people at the center of change. Prior to Points of Light, Edwards was Senior Director, Alternative Investments & Alumni programs for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) - a New York based non-profit with a 50-year history of providing talented and motivated young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to educational and career opportunities. She bore responsibility for the growth in scale and scope of the alternative investments platform through strategic partnerships and events, as well as stakeholder engagement.
An experienced banking professional and non-profit leader, Edwards was also a Vice-President with Merrill Lynch at the NYSE. Post graduate school, she joined US Trust, the private banking arm of Bank of America as a Private Client Manager. In this role, she collaborated with business partners to find solutions to grow, manage, and preserve the assets of emerging wealth clients. Prior to SEO, she served in a dual capacity as Interim Executive Director and Director of Finance for a Kaplan Higher Education career college and consulted with regional campuses on strategic operations.
Edwards enthusiastically serves as a member of the Leadership Council for Junior Achievement of Georgia, the Advisory Board for Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and the board for Atlanta Beltline 67. She is also a 2017 Fellow of New Leaders Council Atlanta. She is passionate about effecting change, including economic development, women’s empowerment, financial literacy/education and community resiliency. She holds a B.S. in Finance from Tuskegee University and an MBA from UNC, Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she completed an exchange at the University of Witswaterand in Johannesburg, South Africa and global immersions in India and Mexico. A native of Alabama, Edwards now resides in Georgia with her husband and two sons. She enjoys traveling, reading, and outdoor events and activities.
