2021 Staff Spotlight – Brad Martin
Brad Martin, VITA Program Coordinator, came to United Way in 2013. He is very passionate about helping people achieve financial stability. “I think that so many people today are just not equipped to manage their finances,” he said. “I help people with their taxes, but can also talk them through the steps of filing and refer them to other people to help them get in a better situation than they were before.
“So much of what we do is impacted by our money decisions,” he added. “Some people have just never had an opportunity to manage a bank account, so helping get people through that and learn how to continue managing their finances is very important to me.”
The future project he is most excited about is the upcoming tax season. To prepare, he is studying the changes and updates in tax laws. “We’re trying to gear up toward a big tax season full of unknowns,” he said. “We’re going to have a massive volunteer recruitment blitz and we need to train them and prepare them for the last-minute changes.” He is also trying to figure out how to improve volunteer communications.
Brad loves to travel. “I love collecting and finding different ways to accrue travel points,” he said. “I try to take two or three trips a year. If I can do it for free, that’s great. It’s the nonprofit mentality. I’m planning on going to Texas and Nashville this year, mostly for free, just with hotel and flight points.”
One of Brad’s favorite vacations was a trip to Walt Disney World with a friend about 15 years ago. “Neither of us had children, so it was a completely different experience,” he said. “We loved the rides and entertainment.”
Brad is legally blind. “I think most people don’t know that people who are blind can work regular jobs, live normal lives and do everyday things within our world,” he said. “People don’t expect that a blind person can do a job that’s so heavily computer-oriented.”