Denise Martineau

Dee is passionate about creating systems that enable people to live their most effective lives. Dee is a multi-racial first and second generation American. She is originally from Oakland, California and came to Minnesota on a road trip in the late 90s. Her previous professional experience includes work as a physicist, high-tech business owner, technology executive, artist, published author, and disability advocate. Dee has been self-employed or owned her own company for all but six months of her professional life. She often promotes self-employment as an alternative to ableism.

Dee connects to the work at hand, not only as a person with multiple disabilities, but in relationship to other family members with disabilities. Dee never met her cousin Becky. Becky was institutionalized in early childhood and stayed institutionalized her entire life. Becky was mentioned only once in Dee’s multi-generational relationship with her family. Her brother, who has been homeless much of his adult life, connects with Dee around their fractured upbringing. Dee became homeless for the first time fleeing domestic violence as a child.

Dee spent a great deal of her professional life as a change management consultant and technology director. She has authored or edited over a dozen books and has been a speaker at many national conferences. She is a former Research Associate at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, NASA, Ames Research Center, and the University of Illinois. Dee was a direct report to Dr. Martin Pearl, Nobel Laureate, Physics, and Dr. Paul Lauterbur, Nobel Laureate, Medicine.

While Dee has served as a disability advocate for herself and others, she became especially passionate about this work, when she was the chief architect for a project meant to help artists with disabilities be more financially successful. Dee gave workshops and private consultations around the state to help artists understand their benefits in relationship to earning, teach them how to promote and market their work, and teach money management and financial skills. These artists are the most amazing people Dee has ever met, and they solidified her desire to transfer her skills to disability rights and advocacy.

Dee has turned her attention to the public sector, including earning dual degrees in law and public administration. She continues to develop her interest in supporting individuals with disabilities, people who unhoused (according to Wilder Foundation research, 87% of Minnesotans who are unhoused are people with disabilities), and creating more inclusive environments in which all can thrive. Dee is eager to continue this work as part of the group of Inclusion Consultants with the Olmstead Implementation Office.