Martha Ann Madden
Martha Ann Madden, a native of Louisiana, has made significant impacts through her multi-faceted career that bridges education, executive management, government administration, the environment, and now, retirement. True to her own Gap-Time plan, Martha is using the talents she has acquired to change the course of retirement for many.
Martha is an accomplished achiever which is evidenced by the positions she has held and the successes that have followed her. Some of Martha’s earlier achievements in boosting the numbers of appointments of women and minorities to boards and commissions in the state of Louisiana were captured in major national magazines, like Working Women, Vogue, and many others. When the 1984 World’s Fair was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Martha worked tirelessly to secure special international speakers for major events.
Ms. Madden has used her inheritance to fund scholarships at Louisiana State University, Centenary Colleges, and other colleges. Another project was to develop a collection of Louisiana’s history, the Martha Madden Collection, at Northwestern State University. As the youngest Dean of Women in the South at Northeast Louisiana University and part of that time as the only woman dean at the university, Ms. Madden mentored, counseled, and advised thousands of students during her tenure. Madden sailed into the hearts and classrooms of numerous students as a regular Administrator on Semester at Sea – a shipboard classroom that goes around the world each semester.
As the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, Martha followed one of her passions--environmental work--and started another career. As the Louisiana Governor’s point-of-contact for the state on all National Environmental Policy Act’s reviews and approvals, Madden’s attention turned to energy as a field of work. Later, Martha served on the Louisiana Governor’s Energy Commission before working as the special assistant to the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. Rounding out her federal government experience, Martha was appointed to serve on the Chemical Transportation Advisory Board with the U.S. Coast Guard appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. D.O.T. For 10 years, she was an appointed volunteer (Security Clearance) to the National Defense Executive Reservists (FEMA), Washington, D.C. Dedication and hard work took the form of volunteer appointments to two National Task Forces: (1) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Task Force and (2) Cyber Threats of the Future Task Force. Ms. Madden excels in the worlds of academia and the environment. Madden has been given a vote of confidence among her colleagues and peers having been selected to the Board of Directors for the Women Council of Energy and the Environment.
Martha has traveled tirelessly to help those who had environmental concerns. Martha has creatively brought together people from widely different cultures to participate in environmental programs to design solutions to environmental problems.
Madden has a BS and MA from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas and advanced graduate studies at Stanford University in California. She has traveled in 70 countries--over 5 million miles around the world--and lectured and/or attended United Nations Conferences, London Business School, and Taiwan University.
The recipient of countless awards and honors over the past 30 years, Ms. Madden received the 1987 State Conservation Award from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation for assisting in developing three volumes of an Environmental Educational Series, the U.S. EPA “Pioneer Award” for her work with the Small Business Assistance Program, Meritorious Service Recognition from the U. S. Department of Energy, the Outstanding Employee Award, Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste, appointed to the Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Task Force, and many other honors. In 2006, Martha was inducted into the Louisiana Women’s Hall of Fame. At its 2007 Fall commencement, Northwestern State University ( Louisiana) conferred upon Martha the Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humane Letters.
Memberships in national and state board commissions have included Save Our Coast Commission, Health and Environment Association of Louisiana, Louisiana Emergency Response Commission, and Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
Martha has expanded her career once again with another passion--retirement counseling. Helping individuals plan for success--with particular attention to adapting and enjoying the mature years through the discovery of new directions--keeps Martha vibrant. If you are ready to explore new ways of living with more leisure time through inspiration, defining your life’s meaning and purpose, don’t wait another minute! Martha has something to tell you: “Gap-Time.”
~~~Annette H. Sharp