Who We Are

Learn More About Us

We are Wendy’s Family and friends. We are the people who carry Wendy’s light after her life was tragically cut short September 18, 2018, by a senseless act of violence in the heart of our nation’s Capital. 

Our Mission 

We exist to make communities safer through running, elevate young Latino professionals into leadership, and accelerate women into powerful roles in technology—transforming loss into momentum and legacy into action.

Our Core Values

EXCELLENCE

We are driven by results; excellence is our benchmark to accomplish our mission and vision.

INTEGRITY

The WMLP is committed to operating within the highest ethical standards and will require the same from our partners. We will support honorable initiatives with a history of success, honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct. 

LOVE WINS

Wendy Martinez, the inspiration for our foundation, believed that circumstances cannot stop us from loving others because God loved us first. Her declaration of life was that, “Love wins.” We honor and celebrate her life by sharing her vision of love with all people.

Meet the Board

 We are Wendy’s family and close friends. We are the people who carry Wendy’s light after her life was tragically cut short September 18, 2018, by a senseless act of violence in the heart of Washington, D.C. The members of our organization are united to achieve a common purpose – to keep Wendy’s light shining. In doing so, we believe that our own talents, as well as those of the community, are more powerful and impactful when we come together to support causes that were very dear to Wendy’s heart.

Cora Martinez 

President & Founder

Cora is a mother, a granny and a Christ follower. She holds a Master’s in business from

Southeastern University. She leads with wisdom, compassion, and integrity. As

Wendy’s mother, Cora is deeply committed to honoring and ensuring her daughter’s legacy lives on through runners’ safety, women empowerment, and community impact.

Juan Carlos 
Martinez

Vice President

Juan Carlos Martinez serves as Vice President of the Wendy Martinez Legacy Project, supporting efforts that advance runner safety, community impact, and women’s empowerment. He works as an IT specialist, bringing structure and strategy to the organization’s growth. As Wendy’s brother and Cora Martinez’s son, his commitment to the mission is both personal and deeply rooted in legacy

 Erica Chicola 

Board Member
Co-founder

Erica is Senior Director for Public Affairs at FTI Consulting. She began her career in

international development and currently serves on the Board of the Latin American Youth Center. Erica has a Master of Global Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Kristina Moore 

Board Member
Co-founder

Kristina Moore is mom to her son Finn and a partner at an international law firm. She

has spent her career in Washington D.C., operating at the center of law, policy, and the media.

Gerald Yao

Advisory Council

Gerald Yao co-founded FiscalNote in 2013 and has served on its Board since inception. He previously led strategy, ESG, generative AI initiatives, and global expansion, helping build and scale the company’s core functions. In 2025, he transitioned to a full-time Board role and went on to co-found GYBC, an AI-powered software development firm, and launch Socayo, a public benefit corporation focused on expanding access to well-being through technology. He studied finance and sociology at Emory University.

Luz Enid Heine

Controller

Luz Heine works with her husband growing their construction company and raising their children, Chris and Caroline.

Patrice Webb

Board Member
Co-founder

Patrice Webb is a government and public affairs strategist and certified grief coach with over 20 years of experience building partnerships across sectors and ideologies. She advises national organizations, corporations, and nonprofits on navigating complex issues, strengthening trust, and advancing collaborative solutions in high-stakes environments. A co-founding board member of the Wendy Martinez Legacy Foundation, Patrice supports efforts to promote community safety, compassion, and collective healing—grounded in her belief that meaningful progress begins when people feel seen, heard, and safe to engage.

Dena Lewis

Advisory Council

 Dena Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Running Mate, the first real-time, on-demand runshare app created to make outdoor running safer. A runner for more than 20 years and an ultra marathoner, Lewis was inspired to build the platform after experiencing harassment and surviving two assaults while running alone. Before launching Running Mate, Lewis spent 15 years in medical device sales and leadership roles and successfully exited three prior businesses. Today, she is a nationally sought-after speaker on women’s safety, resilience, and entrepreneurship, appearing on podcasts, panels, and major running event stages across the U.S. Lewis is the driving force behind Running Mate’s mission to eliminate fear from running and empower women to move freely, confidently, and safely.

Jennifer Thomas

Board Member
Co-founder

Honorary Board Members

Thank you for being the backbone of this mission long before the spotlight ever found us. You showed up with heart, grit, and a belief that Wendy’s story could ignite something bigger than all of us. And it did.

You helped turn a moment of tragedy into a movement of purpose. You drew the blueprint for everything we’re building today: safer communities for runners, opportunities for young professionals and a legacy that continues to grow because you chose to pour your time, your ideas, and your energy into this cause.

Your impact isn’t measured in titles or terms. It’s in every runner who laces up without fear, every young woman who gets a chance she didn’t have before for her career, every family who feels supported because Wendy’s light still reaches them.

Thank you for believing in the vision before it had shape. Thank you for helping us build something that lasts. And thank you for proving that when people lead with courage and love, the ripple never ends.

You’ll always be part of the story — and part of the victory laps still ahead.

 Daniel Hincapie 

Board Member
Co-founder

Arlen Roberts

Board Member
Co-founder

Our Vision 

Like the shooting star that our Wendy was in life, her light and legacy will extend after her physical body left the earth. It will live on through us; and through every person who locks arms with us to achieve her vision for a better today: 

• Where women understand, celebrate, and share their own power, especially Latina women

• Where running is a force for vitality and can be practice safely; and 

• Where the promise of technology is a catalyst and mechanism to realize even bigger and better outcomes.