Martha's work focuses on economic development and opportunity creation, with an emphasis on labor markets, post-secondary education, workforce development, and talent and human capital. She serves philanthropic foundations and higher education institutions on topics including strategy, operations and organization. Martha's recent work includes identifying operational best practices to improve graduation rates and cost efficiency in higher education institutions, serving higher education institutions in transformation programs to improve student outcomes, and developing the strategy for a start-up business school.
Martha is an active writer and speaker on education, labor markets and workforce development. She has led several knowledge efforts on these topics including the 2010 McKinsey report, “Winning by degrees: The strategies of highly productive higher education institutions.” Her research on the economic and social implications of skills gaps the US labor market was published in the 2009 report “Changing the Fortunes of America's Workforce: A human capital challenge.”
Martha serves on the Board of Rubicon Programs. Before joining McKinsey & Company in 2001, Martha received a doctorate in biochemistry and pursued an academic career.
Published work
“Winning by degrees: The strategies of highly productive higher education institutions,” November 2010
“Changing the Fortunes of America’s Workforce: A human capital challenge,” July 2009
“The economic impact of the achievement gap in America’s schools,” April 2009
“How Brazil can grow,” December 2006
“The Emerging Global Labor Markets,” April 2007
Past Experience
University of Brasilia, Brazil
Professor
1998-2001
University of California, San Francisco
Researcher
1996-1998
Education
University of Wisconsin at Madison
PhD
Universidade de Brasilia
BSc