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This story was written for the 2025–2026 Valencia College Foundation Annual Donor Impact Report.  This story profiles Valencia College alumna and Foundation Board member Maritza Martinez-Guerrero, now a leader with the Orlando Magic organization. 

THE UNEXPECTED MAGIC OF MARITZA MARTINEZ-GUERRERO

From a dirt-floor childhood legacy to courtside leadership, a Valencia alum returns to lift the next generation.

By Anne Botteri

Valencia alumna Maritza Martinez-Guerrero now helps build partnerships and community impact through her leadership with the Orlando Magic and the Valencia College Foundation.

When Maritza Martinez-Guerrero walks into the Kia Center—where the lights blaze and the energy hums before thousands of fans—she sometimes pauses to take it all in.

For most people, the basketball floor represents a game. For her, it represents everything her life has fought for: stability, opportunity, and the kind of hope that once felt just out of reach.

That floor, polished by years of wins and losses, triumphs and heartbreak, stands in stark contrast to the dirt floor her mother, Carmen, walked on in the Dominican Republic before immigrating to the United States.

She calls her life a miracle—a testament to what can happen when someone is given a chance and later chooses to invest in that same opportunity for others.

Today, as a leader in corporate partnerships and community engagement for Orlando Magic and a member of the Valencia College Foundation Board, Maritza is shaping the futures of thousands of Central Florida students. But long before she stood courtside in a business suit in the Magic’s signature blue, she stood in high school classrooms during her senior year after moving to Kissimmee, Florida, wondering how she would ever make friends—much less make a life.

A Year of Upheaval — and the Beginning of Everything

Maritza grew up in New York City. When her parents’ marriage unraveled just before her senior year of high school, her mother made a bold and painful decision: she moved the family to Florida in search of affordability, work, and the possibility of a more stable life.

For Maritza, the transition was jarring.

“I was starting completely over,” she says. “New school, new place, no friends, no idea what came next.”

She is refreshingly candid about the fact that her senior-year transcript reflected her reality.

“Honestly? Academics wasn’t my top priority.”

She worked—first at McDonald’s, then in food service at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Slowly, the idea of college began to form, not as a certainty but as a possible bridge to her future.

Valencia: Bridge and Launchpad

Her early semesters followed a stop-and-start rhythm familiar to many community college students. She registered for what she could afford. She dropped by a class when work hours changed. She added one back when finances allowed. She questioned whether it was worth it.

Valencia’s faculty and advisors knew something she did not yet know. They gently reminded her—as they do students today—“to expect the unexpected.”

That phrase stayed with her.

It carried her through two bachelor’s degrees at the University of Central Florida. It carried her into her first major professional role in community relations at UCF, where she helped build partnerships that strengthened the university’s reputation and reach.

Eventually, it carried her into the stunning headquarters of Orlando Magic, where she accepted a job in corporate partnerships and philanthropy despite knowing almost nothing about basketball.

The Purpose of a Basketball

She laughs when she remembers those early days.

She knew a lot about the community, but almost nothing about basketball or NBA franchises.

But then something happened.

“I realized a basketball can bring people together,” she says. “It’s a convener.”

She has watched people and players gather for more than a game or entertainment, but for a sense of belonging.

“Sport creates shared purpose.”

The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation harnesses that power. Each year, the foundation—chaired by the DeVos family, well-known philanthropists and community builders—distributes millions in grants to organizations supporting education, youth arts, homelessness initiatives, and health and wellness. It is part of a $3 billion family-run enterprise that believes deeply in lifting the region it calls home.

Through her work, Maritza now sits at the intersection of corporate generosity and community need, ensuring that Central Florida’s nonprofits have the support they need to thrive.

She calls Valencia her bridge—and now wants to help build that bridge for the next generation of students.

A Community College Success Story Who Returned to Serve

Nearly 40% of U.S. undergraduates begin their education at a community college, making institutions like Valencia central to the nation’s workforce pipeline and economic mobility. With more than 60,000 students across multiple counties, it plays a defining role in Florida’s talent pipeline.

But as Maritza knows well, the students who start at community colleges often come from families with little tradition of philanthropy. Many are first-generation college students. Many full- or part-time jobs. Many wonder—as she once did—how to finish school while keeping the lights on at home.

That is why the Valencia College Foundation exists. As a legally separate nonprofit, it raises the private support that public funding simply cannot cover. It fills the gaps so students can buy books, afford tuition, stay enrolled, and keep moving toward the lives they hope to build.

Her service also aligns with her belief that institutions like Valencia must tell bigger, bolder stories about their impact and their ability to provide what she calls “an irresistible invitation to education—one that is affordable and realistic.”

She believes Valencia stands at an inflection point, a moment to clarify the areas in which the college should excel and be known for in Central Florida and nationally. She sees that clarity as something that will help make the case for support every bit as irresistible to donors as the educational opportunities are for students.

The Magic of a Life Reimagined

Spend just five minutes with Maritza and you feel it: a kind of unstoppable optimism that seems to rise from her own story. She is humble, but hungry—not for herself, but for others like her.

From Brooklyn to Kissimmee, from McDonald’s to courtside suites, from uncertainty to influence, she has carried the lessons of her mother’s courage and the belief that possibility is meant to be shared.

“People helped me,” she says.

Her trademark smile widens easily when she talks about others, especially her two daughters, who are pursuing degrees at the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida. 

She knows she is a walking brand ambassador for one of Central Florida’s crown jewels in sports and entertainment. But she also knows she represents something bigger: the promise that accessible education—when supported by community investment—can change the trajectory of a life.

And if her life is any indication, there is more magic to come.

“We can only wonder what’s next,” she says with a grin.

Note: The published version of this story was edited for length.

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Publication: New Hampshire Union Leader
Date Published: November 25, 2025
Author: Anne Botteri

This opinion editorial was published in the New Hampshire Union Leader, New Hampshire’s largest daily newspaper and the state’s only statewide print newspaper. In this piece, I analyze how political narratives are shaped in real time when leaders fail to communicate clearly during high-stakes moments. Using a federal government shutdown vote as a case study, the column examines how the absence of an immediate messaging strategy allowed outside commentary to define the narrative.

Note: The text below reflects the original submission. Minor editorial changes were made by the newspaper prior to publication.

Published version: https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/anne-botteri-ending-shutdown-was-the-right-call-but-democrats-fumbled-anyway/article_089b2251-62dd-4d36-aaff-03fe70c2daba.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Ending the Shutdown Was the Right Call, but Democrats Surrendered the Message 

By Anne Botteri

Government shutdowns aren’t theoretical. They hit paychecks, contractors, and families almost immediately. That’s why last week’s bipartisan vote to reopen the government mattered. Eight senators crossed the aisle, including Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. Their votes were reasonable and responsible.

What happened next was neither.

The moment the vote closed, the shutdown was declared over after a routine roll call. Wire services blasted the news before either senator’s office had launched an explanation or video message for constituents. Within minutes, the national narrative took shape without them: Democrats gave in. They secured nothing. The party is now split.

This was not an inevitable conclusion. It was the result of a communications vacuum at a moment when precision and clarity matter.

In fast-moving crises, the public hears the first coherent explanation offered. If leaders don’t get the public’s attention, pundits will. That’s exactly what happened here.

Anyone who has worked in government or politics knows how these moments should unfold:

• A clear three-sentence topline on why the vote was cast

• A longer message for more detailed questions

• A pre-recorded video explaining the decision in the senator’s own voice

• Prepared surrogates reinforcing the message and being offered to media outlets faster than producers can scroll their contacts

• A clear FAQ for all staff members

• A values-based rationale that shows the vote was made on principle, not pressure

These tools aren’t spin. They are essential for leaders in an era where information moves instantly and misinformation moves faster.

Shaheen and Hassan had a strong, substantive argument. Ending the shutdown wasn’t capitulation. It came with a commitment from Republicans to take a public vote on a health care measure they had been avoiding. It removed the justification for prolonged harm to federal workers and the economy. And it placed responsibility back where it belonged. It wasn’t what everyone wanted, but it was something.

But because the senators didn’t establish that frame early—and no publicly available evidence suggests they circulated formal talking points to colleagues or constituents before the press conference—the political commentary spun a different story.

In Senator Shaheen’s steady, measured voice, a prepared statement could have sounded like this:

“This shutdown has caused real harm. I don’t support the tactics that created it, but I will not let working Americans continue to pay the price. Today’s vote ensures Congress must publicly decide whether ordinary people deserve affordable health coverage. Ending the shutdown is the responsible choice, and I expect our Republican colleagues to honor their commitment to a fair vote.”

Not inflammatory. Not partisan. Just honest.

That kind of clarity would have put the focus where it belonged: on the harm caused by a shutdown and the responsibility of elected leaders to stop it.

Instead, Democrats allowed others, including members of their own party, to define the moment as capitulation. The early framing stuck. Most Americans don’t follow the minutiae of congressional procedure. They remember the headline they saw first and the soundbite they heard last.

Shaheen and Hassan did the right thing by voting to reopen the government. But doing the right thing is only half the battle. Explaining it—quickly, clearly, and on your own terms—is the other half, the half that wins the public’s trust, sometimes anyway.

There’s a lesson here for both parties: when decisions carry real consequences, the messaging needs as much thought as the decision itself. Otherwise, even principled choices risk being drowned out by the noise.

Anne Botteri is a writer and communications strategist, former executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

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This writing sample is a message drafted for the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Re-Member, a nonprofit organization that partners with the Oglala Lakota community on Pine Ridge Reservation to address basic needs and support community-led initiatives. The copy was written so that it could serve either as an email to donors and community stakeholders or be adapted into spoken remarks. In this case, the Board Chair chose to deliver it via email to several thousand supporters. The copy below is unaltered from the original. More about Re-Member at www.re-member.org

CHAIRMAN’S THANKSGIVING MESSAGE

Dear Friends of Re-Member,

Some moments in life change everything—not because they arrive with fanfare, but because they quietly remind us of what matters. My first trip to Pine Ridge was one of those moments. I didn’t go expecting transformation. In fact, I went mostly because two friends from church kept asking me, over and over, “When are you coming?” I finally said yes, unaware that the visit to South Dakota, to the home of the Oglala Lakota people, would reshape my understanding of the world and myself.

Before that first visit, I was a dentist in the midst of a traumatic hand injury—one that would permanently end my ability to practice the profession for which I had trained and studied for many years. To say my future felt uncertain would be an understatement. So did my identity. I did not expect to meet and learn from people who live with uncertainty daily—not as a major disruption in a life plan but as a living reality.

On that first trip I met Cornell, a veteran who shared his story with honesty and grace. He spoke of challenges and loss, but also of pride in his heritage and hope for the generations ahead. He didn’t greet me as a dentist from Michigan or just another outsider passing through. He saw me as a fellow human, sitting beside him, in shared conversation. That simple act of welcome, and Cornell’s honesty about his life, has stayed with me ever since.

There are other moments, too. One I will never forget was delivering beds to a family whose children had been sleeping outside on an old trampoline. To carry the beds inside, we laid wooden boards across a gap of raw sewage—building a temporary bridge just to reach the doorway. When the top bunk was finally assembled, a young girl climbed up, hugged her new blanket, and looked content, as if she had just been handed the world.

In that instant I understood: the work of Re-Member is not about charity. It is about dignity.

Those moments are the reason I keep returning. Each time I come back, I see glimpses of progress. Gardens standing in a place where it’s incredibly hard to grow food. Solar panels glinting from a rooftop in the distance. A volunteer who comes once and chooses to return. Lakota staff like Kim, Nyla, and others who come to work alongside us because they share a belief that progress is possible. On Pine Ridge, that progress is not fast or loud. It’s simply real.

This year, Re-Member enters its 27th year on the Reservation. What began as an ambitious idea has evolved into a community-led effort grounded in mutual respect. Our board has welcomed new members whose skills and passion will help shape the organization’s next chapter. And as we look ahead, we do so with gratitude—not simply for being invited into the story of the Oglala Lakota, but for being entrusted to become a part of it.

I am especially proud of the work taking place at Feather II. Securing land for gardens means we can do more to address hunger and a food deficit in meaningful, healthy way. Every time I see the veggie wagon headed out on the road—its trailer packed with fresh produce—I am reminded that change often begins with small steps: a carrot, a cucumber, a handful of rhubarb, grown and delivered by people who believe that everyone deserves nourishment.

I am grateful to our donors, volunteers, staff, and partners in this work—especially our small but extraordinary staff like executive director Will Paese—who sacrifice the lives they once knew to live and work in this challenging yet beautiful place. Together, day by day, we prove that every person in our nation deserves basic human dignity—warmth in winter, something to eat, a private safe place to go to the bathroom. It doesn’t sound like much, and yet it’s everything.

To every volunteer and supporter who has come to Pine Ridge—and to those who return often—thank you.

Thank you for standing with Re-Member, for believing we need to keep building those bridges over the challenges we see, especially the ones that are hard to look at.

Wishing you and your loved ones a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving.

And to those who have not yet been here: “When are you coming?”

Warmly,
Dan Peters
Chairman of the Board, Re-Member

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This press release was prepared as part of my work with Florida A&M University on a contracted basis, supporting the President and Board of Trustees with crisis communications and confidential issues related to leadership transitions. I provided content for public messaging, strategy and stakeholder mapping in advance of this announcement. The strategy reflected the university’s values and ensured clarity for multiple audiences during a sensitive leadership change.

Publication Date: July 2024

Live version published on FAMU website: https://news.famu.edu/2024/famu-president-larry-robinson-announces-plans-to-step-down.php

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FAMU PRESIDENT LARRY ROBINSON ANNOUNCES PLANS TO STEP DOWN

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University (FAMU) President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., today announced that he will step down as president after seven years in the role, including one as interim. In a letter to the University’s Board of Trustees Chair, Kristin Tucker Harper, Robinson expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead Florida’s public HBCU, which currently enrolls just over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students across its colleges.

Before accepting the Board’s offer to serve as FAMU's 12th president in November 2017, Robinson was a Distinguished Professor in FAMU’s School of the Environment, a position to which he intends to return at the conclusion of a year-long sabbatical. The exact date of his departure will be determined in consultation with the Board of Trustees and coordination with Florida’s Board of Governors. Both bodies will need to approve the selection of the interim and permanent leader for the university.

Kristin Harper, Chair of the Florida A&M Board of Trustees, commenting on the resignation, commended Robinson’s leadership and the upward trajectory of the university under his tenure:

“Florida A&M University has reached unprecedented heights as a Top 100 University and the highest-ranked public HBCU in America for the fifth consecutive year. We have achieved remarkable gains in applications, improved academic profiles, faster graduation rates, increases in research funding and awards of that funding. We have also had our best years to date in private fundraising while still making gains in Florida’s performance-based state awards. This has all occurred while also making great progress towards achieving Carnegie I Research status. His love for FAMU, steady leadership, and unwavering dedication to our students will leave an indelible mark on this university’s history. His dedication was shared by his wife, Sharon Robinson, a cherished jewel for FAMU. She has been a source of inspiration for countless Rattlers. As he leaves the presidency, we are just glad they will remain part of this great community.”

Robinson’s letter to the Board noted his intention to thank many in the coming weeks whose work and commitments had made all the difference during his presidency. He emphasized FAMU's critical role in shaping lives and the benefits that the state and taxpayers receive from such investments, especially via an HBCU.

The University’s Board of Trustees will begin the process of selecting an interim leader and planning for a presidential search immediately. Harper expressed her appreciation for President Robinson’s flexibility in working with the Board to ensure a smooth transition process and her intention to communicate regularly with the university community about the upcoming process.

More information about Dr. Robinson can be found here: https://www.famu.edu/about-famu/leadership/office-of-the-president/index.php
More information about Florida A&M University can be found here: https://www.famu.edu/about-famu/index.php
More information about America’s HBCUs can be found here: https://uncf.org/pages/hbcus-punching-above-their-weight

Media seeking additional information may contact the FAMU Office of Communications at (850) 599-3413 or public.relations@famu.edu.

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This white paper was prepared in 2022 for an audience of major gift prospects to support the feasibility planning stage of a capital campaign. The new building, Grappone Hall, was dedicated in 2025.

INTRODUCING SAINT ANSELM’S SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS

“It means something to be a Saint Anselm nurse.”

In 1953, when Saint Anselm College established a nursing program, compelling reasons guided the decision. The all-male college on the hill was answering society’s call, as it had when the Benedictines came to New Hampshire in 1889.

Nurses were needed. The Benedictines responded. Saint Anselm had the infrastructure, the expertise, and the reputation for combining quality education with service to society. Hospitality is also a hallmark of the Rule of St. Benedict, as is the ethical and compassionate care of every person, the dignity of the individual, and the responsibility of the college to prepare students for lives of critical thinking and contribution to community.

And so it was that a nursing program was born on that well-known hilltop in New Hampshire. Women came, then men. Healthcare leaders throughout New England would soon say they could tell a Saint Anselm nurse when they saw one in action. There was a difference. It was more than simply the data on the resume, more than a high NCLEX pass rate, more than bedside manner or the ability to react well in a crisis. A Saint Anselm nurse embodies the elements that are the foundation of Saint Anselm: appreciation for the humanities, critical thinking, powerful writing, and ethical decision-making. Saint Anselm nurses go on to deliver extraordinary outcomes in practice, healthcare leadership, academia, and public health.

The American Nursing Association estimates that more than a million nurses will need to join the workforce in the next few years to prevent a critical shortage. As always, Saint Anselm is willing to meet the need—but we cannot do so in an outdated and cramped facility that cannot accommodate class sizes or technology needed to prepare graduates across the full continuum of healthcare disciplines.

In June 2022, following months of work and study by a Trustee-led Presidential Commission on Nursing, the College announced it would establish its first school, the School of Nursing and Health Professions. The school is planned for a state-of-the-art facility, which is scheduled to be dedicated in September 2025.

We are building a home.

As a concrete commitment to the future of healthcare, the new building will replace Gadbois Hall, completed in 1968. Its design will provide state-of-the-art technology and labs and will serve as a laboratory for reimagining how nursing integrates across communities as an expression of caring. Key healthcare influencers have expressed openness to deeper partnerships, but they want to see both an efficient organizational and physical structure. A welcoming, well-equipped facility attracts key partners, top students, and faculty members who are in high demand. The Saint Anselm School of Nursing and Health Professions will also become a place where the college expands its tradition of convening important conversations on critical issues, enabling healthcare leaders and partners to collaborate on solutions with local, regional, and national impact.

Stagnancy puts reputations at risk. Establishing the Saint Anselm School of Nursing and Health Professions will keep the college competitive as a respected source of professional nurses and leaders who advance the practice of nursing and improve healthcare outcomes. Our current, under-resourced model is not sustainable. It is inadequate to meet demand for growth, as demonstrated by the high yield in admissions, and to maintain quality education. We currently cannot provide enough clinical spaces, clinical groups, and sections of fundamental courses taught by degree-qualified faculty with mentorship.

Saint Anselm will be more competitive for new funding.

The School of Nursing will strengthen positioning for grants and funding from regional and national foundations committed to nursing and healthcare education. Individual donors have expressed willingness to support a broader, expanded commitment to nursing. Until now, we have not defined a strategic vision to maximize that investment. The new school represents a refocused, recommitted vision that reflects the college’s identity. Donors expect a strategic approach that will move Saint Anselm toward a leadership position in healthcare.

We will expand collaborative platforms.

Healthcare is a broad umbrella and economic engine. The Saint Anselm School of Nursing will consolidate resources and relationships to provide a foundation for high-demand para-professional, undergraduate, and master’s programs in nursing and public health. We can leverage expertise in areas ranging from health sciences, social sciences, criminal justice, policy, and business through stronger relationships with hospitals and public health organizations. The new school will enable pre-professional partnerships leading to advanced degrees. (Our engineering program provides a proven model.) New outreach will expand clinical opportunities beyond traditional hospital settings, including Division II athletics, summer leagues, urgent care facilities, and integrated counseling programs.

We will strengthen the economy.

The healthcare sector employs more than 12 percent of U.S. workers and accounts for over 25 percent of government spending. A stable, efficient healthcare sector is critical locally, statewide, and nationally. The School of Nursing and Health Professions will provide hospitals with access to emerging talent across disciplines through research, Capstone projects, and internships. This approach also builds pipelines for healthcare administration, policy, and public health professionals.

We will help keep health professionals in New Hampshire.

Retaining the talent we develop is a priority. Broadening the pool of students from New Hampshire and cultivating early relationships through summer residencies and outreach programs fosters affiliation and emotional investment, increasing the likelihood graduates remain in-state for their careers.

We will benefit society and other departments at the college.

The School of Nursing and Health Professions will serve as the foundation for health sciences and centers of excellence across the college. Saint Anselm can catalyze better healthcare in New Hampshire by helping solve challenges such as specialized therapy, hospice care, counseling needs, and nursing shortages. At Saint Anselm—and through Saint Anselm—all departments benefit from this wave of recommitment, improving outcomes for students, the community, and society.

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