Tammy Martin
YBLA CPO
Tammy is the Chief Program Officer and Co-Founder of YBLA as well as a speaker, philanthropist, and convener of women’s initiatives. A native of Statesville, N.C., Tammy earned a BS degree in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University and later obtained a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Capella University.
With 25 years of experience in healthcare, Tammy also discovered her passion for youth in 2006 when her husband, John, founded the Young Black Men (YBM) Leadership Alliance. Over the next decade, working alongside John and the founding team, God inspired Tammy to create a similar leadership program for young Black women. In 2015, she launched the Young Black Women (YBW) Leadership Alliance, co-founding the organization with her daughter and her three best friends.
Tammy and John merged YBM and YBW to form the Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) in 2017, following the success of the inaugural YBW Leadership Conference. After a major seed donation, Tammy transitioned into the nonprofit sector full-time in December 2017 to work alongside John at YBLA.
Tammy’s commitment to leadership and personal growth is further demonstrated by her certifications in Nonprofit Leadership from Boston College, Nonprofit Management from Duke University, and Career Coaching from Paradigm 360 in Charlotte. Her contributions have been recognized by the National Council of Negro Women, who honored her with the Sisterhood Award, and she, along with John, received the Annie T. Doe Memorial Foundation award for their community work. Tammy was also invited to be a guest speaker at the annual “You Go Girl” Conference in Belize, where she had the opportunity to inspire and encourage inner-city girls aged 13 to 19.
Within YBLA, Tammy has spearheaded numerous initiatives for women, including:
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Building Mothers to Lead, designed to empower mothers as leaders for the next generation
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Triple T Tuesday, a social media campaign offering leadership tips for teens and mothers
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Aspire Sister Circle, which connects professional Black women with young women to share their stories and inspire future leaders
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Black Mothers Black Sons, a 3-part virtual series aimed at understanding the struggles and blessings of raising Black boys in today’s world.
Tammy co-authored a book with John, and together they plan to launch a podcast series titled How We Build Leaders.
In her spare time, Tammy enjoys spending time with family, traveling, creating happy experiences for family and friends, spending time with young people, and fitness. She has been married to John for 30 years, and their daughter Jalyn, a Speech Pathologist, who lives and works in Charlotte.
"We were given a unique assignment to change the world's perception of young black men and women. We are writing a new narrative and creating a new reality for the next generation of young leaders! It is an honor and privilege to do so."
John Martin
YBLA CEO
John Martin is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of YBLA, as well as a facilitator, speaker, philanthropist, and coach. A native of the United States, John’s upbringing was greatly influenced by his father’s service in the Coast Guard, which required the family to move every two years. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Delaware.
John began his professional career with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, working for several corporations. His journey toward leadership was deeply influenced by a high school guidance counselor who once told him he was "not college material." This comment stayed with him and fueled his passion for empowering young Black men. In 2006, during a Get Motivated Conference, John received a vision from God to start a leadership organization that would change the negative perceptions of young Black men. With the support of his wife, Tammy, and a dedicated founding leadership team, he launched YBM Leadership Alliance, with the goal of building leaders who positively impact their communities.
John believes the key to developing leaders is through service, guided by his philosophy of "train one, impact many." With this approach, YBLA has provided numerous young leaders with international experiences to serve, including mission trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, and Belize, as well as cultural service-learning trips to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa and to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.
Following the success of Tammy’s launch of YBW Leadership Alliance, John and Tammy merged their organizations, creating the Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) as it exists today.
Beyond his role as CEO of YBLA, John serves as a Board Member for Read Charlotte and mentors several nonprofit leaders. His previous board memberships include the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools African American Males Task Force, Male Leadership Academy, Central Piedmont Community College Minority Male Mentoring Advisory Board, Vance Academy of Engineering Board, and the SAME Academy Board.
John’s work has earned him numerous accolades, including being named Hero of the Week by Spectrum News, Citizen of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi chapter, and receiving the Paradigm 360 Colin Pinkney Man of the Year Award. He has also been honored as a Made Man of Charlotte and received the Brotherhood Award from the National Council of Negro Women, the Gabe’s Heart Foundation Big Heart Award, and the Robert Davis Award from the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte. John and Tammy were both recognized with the Annie T. Doe Memorial Foundation award for their community work.
John co-authored a book with Tammy, and together, they plan to launch a podcast series titled How We Build Leaders.
In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, serving abroad with young leaders, and watching cartoons and sports. He has been married to Tammy for 30 years, and their daughter, Jalyn, a Speech Pathologist, lives and works in Charlotte.