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Biography
Jimmy Martinez serves as the Deputy Director for the Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program. Arriving to the Oil Spill program in 1996, Jimmy began his Oil Spill career in the Austin headquarters but returned home to the Corpus Christi area as a response officer and was eventually promoted to Regional Director for the South Texas Coastal Zone. As Regional Director, Jimmy ensured Oil Spill staff in Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Port Lavaca maintained preparedness status for any spill or coastal weather event affecting South Texas. Significant incidents during his tenure included the 2006 Valero Tank 22 spill, 2008 Hurricane Ike response, 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, 2014 Texas City Y spill and the 2017 Hurricane Harvey response. In late 2017, Jimmy was promoted to Deputy Director and assumed duties for the entire Oil Spill Prevention and Response Division to include the Upper Texas Coastal Zone offices in Nederland and LaPorte as well as Austin-led programs for Scientific Support, Research and Development, Preparedness, Compliance, Outreach and Derelict Vessel Removal. Although headquartered in Austin, Jimmy’s commitment to field response remains indisputable, working steadfastly to ensure all Oil Spill teams have state of the art equipment and extensive training with primary focus on staff’s health and safety while supporting agency missions. During his tenure in Austin, Jimmy has energized Oil Spill training and preparedness efforts, overseen the design and purchase of a technologically advanced 52’ command post and facilitated the removal of more than 600 derelict vessels from Texas coastal waters by seeking out external funding resources, developing local partnerships and using existing program assets. Under Jimmy’s leadership, the Oil Spill program coordinates the recognized Vessel Turn In Program (VTIP) that combines state and local resources for owners to voluntarily dispose of unwanted vessels at no charge. The Oil Spill program also supports a well-developed UAV (drone) program for spill response and other agency uses. Additionally, Jimmy continues to provide agency-wide leadership during the Gulf hurricane season. Strongly committed to public service, Jimmy served eight years on the Beeville City Council and was elected as Mayor of Beeville from 2009-2013. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M University Kingsville with majors in Psychology and Sociology and is father to Trey, Ryann Olivia and Brock.