Alumnus of the Year 2025

Alumnus Lives His Professional Sports Dream

For Urel Martinez, summers off from high school meant one thing: working long days in the San Gabriel Valley heat with his parents, who are gardeners.  And, he admits, he hated every minute of it. Fast forward 20 years, and Martinez credits that experience with shaping the hard-working, disciplined person he is today.

Martinez, named Mt. SAC’s Alumnus of the Year for 2025, is the Chief Revenue Officer for the L.A. Galaxy. He oversees all aspects of revenue generation—from ticket sales and partnerships to brand initiatives that reflect and engage the club’s diverse fanbase.

Before joining the Galaxy in 2017 and being named CRO in 2023, Martinez held leadership roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Clippers. In recognition of his leadership and cultural impact in the sports industry, Martinez was recently featured in Hispanic Executive magazine.

Long before his rise in professional sports, Martinez was a Wilson High School student and competitive athlete living in La Puente with his five siblings. While many of his classmates went straight to four-year universities after high school, Martinez enrolled at Mt. SAC.

“Mt. SAC was the only school I could go to. That was the reality of my situation,” he said during a recent visit to campus to meet with students. “It wasn’t a matter of choice; it was a matter of necessity.”

Fortunately, he found support and guidance through Summer Bridge, a six-week program that supports recent graduating high school students in their transition to college life.

“The best thing about Mt. SAC was building my foundation there. It provided the resources I needed to be successful, and it gave the guidance I needed in a way that really resonated with somebody like me,” Martinez said. “I was able to collaborate and meet like-minded students who had the same concerns I had, who had the same insecurities I had. To be able to do that right out of the gate as an 18-year-old, first-generation college student and build those relationships and understand that I wasn’t alone, that meant everything to me.”

Martinez later transferred to UC Irvine as an Administration of Justice major, with the goal of becoming an FBI or CIA agent. He excelled in his studies, which he credits to the preparation he received at Mt. SAC.

“I’m extremely fortunate to be in the position I am today and to tell my story for others who might be in a similar situation,” he said. “Getting to work in professional sports, for someone who grew up living and breathing it, is a dream come true.”

His advice to those he mentors: “Dream big! Never limit yourself to the circumstances that you’re used to. Challenge yourself. If you want something, go out there and get it.  With hard work, discipline, and commitment, anything is possible, but you have to believe. No one else will believe for you. There will be challenges and there will be obstacles. If you want it bad enough, you can get it.”