Martin is something of a rarity in the Washington area-he's a native! He grew up in Glenmont, Maryland just north of Washington. He's been a resident of Prince William County for 23 years and at his current residence for nine.

Fairly soon after arriving in the county, he became involved in community initiatives and volunteer organizations. Early on, he was involved with park issues, advocating for a park instead of the proposed Lego theme park project on the Cherry Hill peninsula, neither of which were built. He advocated successfully for the formation of the National Wildlife Refuge at the former Harry Diamond Facility where the Occoquan meets the Potomac, working with Jim Waggener and others. He worked with Protect Prince William successfully opposing the proposed Disney theme park and housing development in Haymarket. He has been involved with various projects in the Davis Ford corridor, including spearheading a movement to remove a proposed change to the Comprehensive Plan that would have increased density in the SRR-zoned areas to 1-acre building lot average from the previous and current 2.5-acre building lot average.

At this time, he is a member of Habitat for Humanity, The Sports Car Club of America, the Prince William Conservation Alliance, and of course, MIDCO. He is an appointed member of the Prince William County Citizen Resource Protection Area Committee, and the Occoquan Non-Point Source Management Program's Technical Advisory Committee of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

Martin's "day job" for the last 28 years has involved working for clean air, first as a contractor testing emissions from vehicles for the EPA, and for the last five years helping to oversee Virginia's vehicle inspection and maintenance program for the Department of Environmental Quality. He resides in Lake Occoquan Club in Woodbridge.