Martinez Santiago is a community leader, youth advocate, and champion for equity, whose lifelong commitment to service and justice is transforming lives.
We are delighted to announce the selection of Fatimah Carmen Luisa Martinez Santiago as the recipient of the 2024 Greg Farrell Award. This annual Award was established to celebrate the life and honor the legacy of Greg Farrell, who passed away in 2020. Greg was a visionary educator and nonprofit leader whose many accomplishments included serving as the longtime Executive Director of the Fund for the City of New York, a founder of NYC Outward Bound Schools, and the founding President of EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning). The Award, which carries with it a $5k cash prize, is meant to shine a light on individuals who bring to life through their work and personal example the qualities that defined Greg’s life – encapsulated in the Award tagline of “lighting sparks, living boldly, and leaving the world a better place.”
Fatimah follows in the tradition of previous Award recipients: Pascale Florestal (2020); Moses Ssenyonjo (2021); Tonya Dreher (2022); and David Adams (2023), each of whom is engaging in life-changing and life-affirming work that is a source of inspiration and hope.
From Outward Bound student to School Board President, Martinez Santiago continues to uplift and advocate for her community.
In Fatimah’s case, her work as a change maker and force for good in her community began when she was a student at South Bronx High School, enrolled in an Outward Bound-inspired class called Project Discovery. Susan McCray, one of the co-teachers of that class and a member of the Award Selection Committee, said of Fatimah: “At 14 years old, she was feisty, loving, passionate, and already deeply committed to community. I knew instantly that she was special.”
She immediately began exhibiting those special qualities as one of the leaders of that class, helping to organize a “Unity Project” aimed at stemming violence in her community. She then stepped into the role of founder and driving force behind “Rebels with a Cause,” a groundbreaking youth-mentoring program aimed at empowering and equipping young people to bring about positive change in the South Bronx community. Fatimah eventually joined the staff of NYC Outward Bound Schools, where she took on a number of different roles, always going the extra mile to do whatever she could to support students and families. After moving with her three sons to Poughkeepsie NY, she continued working to serve and support her community, first at Astor Services and now at Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, she was elected as President of the Poughkeepsie School Board, where she is working with her colleagues to ensure that each child in the district, regardless of background or circumstance, receives an equitable, excellent education.
Upon being notified that she was selected as this year’s Award recipient Fatimah commented: “I am deeply honored to receive an award that embodies Greg Farrell’s spirit of curiosity, service, and adventure. Like Greg, I believe in recognizing the gifts of others, breaking down systemic barriers, and cultivating spaces where people can connect with their highest potential—both individually and collectively. This award is not just a recognition but a call to continue the work of empowering communities, fostering belonging, and building a more just and compassionate world.”
About the other 2024 Nominees
The same commitment to social justice and to lifting up the most marginalized and vulnerable among us that has so characterized Fatimah’s career is plainly evident in the work of the two other finalists for this year’s Greg Farrell Award – Edafe Okporo and Alexis “Amani” Simayobowe. Edafe, a Nigerian-born gay man now living in the U.S., is the founder of Refugee America, an organization that seeks to tell the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and provide them with a welcoming environment. And Amani, who grew up as a street orphan in Rwanda, is now working to “pay it forward,” having established an organization called Sheer Love Rwanda that provides education and other support services to homeless Rwandan children.
It is a continuing source of inspiration to know that there are people like Fatimah, Edafe and Amani who are making such a profound mark on their communities and our world, and who are keeping Greg Farrell’s legacy alive through their extraordinary work.
Donate to the Greg Farrell Award
Contributions to the Greg Farrell Award fund are welcome and greatly appreciated.
A Special Thank You to our Selection Committee:
- Julia Boral
- Thea Daniels
- Paul Herdman
- Susan McCray
- Jeanne Sturges
- Richard Stopol
- Sanna Randolph Thomas
- Denis Udall
- Paola Vita