Nonprofit Prophet
“Rising Tide exists to transform lives,” says Joynicole Martinez ’96, CEO and president. “And in transforming one life and connecting them to others, you transform a community.”
Raised in Rochester, N.Y., Martinez had her own life transformed after coming to the College, although her parents were a little confused by her decision to attend a university in the South. But she fell in love with the College at first bite.
“Shrimp and grits made me want to go to the College of Charleston,” she says, recalling one of her first impressions of Charleston.
She first assumed she’d become a chemical engineer like her mother or a doctor like her father. But Martinez discovered an interest in political science at the College.
“I fell in love with learning how humans make decisions about themselves and each other,” she says. This knowledge would later serve her as an executive consultant to organizations, which she describes as “little civilizations.”
Her final semester was memorable, if unusual. Newly married, Martinez and her husband, who was deployed with the Marine Corps, had to move to California. Political science professor Jack Parson flew out and administered her final exam in a restaurant to ensure she could graduate on time. She describes Parson, now retired, as embodying “the spirit of the College.”
After graduation, Martinez worked at a gospel record label and wrote grant proposals on the side to help her father’s patients – many diagnosed with HIV/AIDS – secure nonmedical resources.
Over time, that work evolved into a consulting practice as she began advising organizations on leadership, diversity and community building. Her business grew organically, leading her to opportunities to present in more than 100 countries. During the pandemic, an acquaintance connected her with the co-founders of Rising Tide Capital. In the first conversation, she knew: These are my people.
Though she’s had a wide-ranging career, Martinez says she’s only really had one job: helping people get better.
In 2025, she was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People of African Descent – a global initiative supporting the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent – in the philanthropy and social impact category.
Martinez spent years fighting impostor syndrome, convinced she needed more experience before she belonged in the rooms she wanted to be in. But after earning master’s and doctoral degrees, she realized it wasn’t about “the letters.” It was about gaining the knowledge to pursue the career she wanted.
Determined to make the journey to success easier for those who come after her, Martinez donates to CofC funds spanning diversity, STEM and entrepreneurship. She wants to create a safe space for students to explore their identities and goals.
Her advice to students trying to find their way: “What brings you joy? What makes you want to get up? What’s on your mind all the time? Find that thing. And then don’t ask to solve it. Just get to work solving it.”