Staff Spotlight: Five Questions with Martha Snyder. Get to know our Partner.
Today, get to know Martha Snyder: A Partner with HCM Strategists.
Martha specializes in education policy and has extensive experience with federal, state, and institutional leaders. She leads the postsecondary team on significant projects and clients, focusing on equitable finance policies, affordable student pathways, and transitions from K-12 to postsecondary education. Martha has served significant clients, including foundations and state higher education systems, and leads efforts in postsecondary transformation. Her expertise in state-level leadership and finance policy enables her to develop research-based, student-centered funding recommendations and strategic higher education policies. Martha's work involves presenting to state legislatures and facilitating state processes to implement equitable funding models.
Additionally, she oversees policy developments related to financial aid, dual enrollment, and workforce-aligned pathways. Before HCM, Martha was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education and an associate director at The White House Domestic Policy Council. She actively improves educational outcomes for disadvantaged students, serves as the chair of two charter schools, and volunteers in tutoring and reading programs. Martha lives with her husband and four children in Buffalo, New York. She is an avid marathon runner and supports her local sports teams.
To learn more about Martha, please visit her LinkedIn.
What is one feature of your own educational journey you bring to your lens at HCM?
→ I'm not sure I can point to "one feature," but perhaps a set of interconnected features that bring awareness and relevance to my work and lens at HCM. First is the power of a good educator or mentor. That person with whom you have a trusted relationship, who encourages you and helps guide you through important decisions - big and small. Our work in learner research has underscored this: for so many, their choice to enroll or not, to stay enrolled or not, is attributed to feeling supported and having that trusted individual you can go for information and guidance. Second, is the reality that I had a traditional educational path: going from high school to college to graduate school. Much of this was motivated and informed by my parents, who, for their reasons, did not have a traditional path to a college credential. They instilled in my brothers and me the importance and value of a college education because they both saw a real ROI once they received that first credential. Unfortunately, for too many, the value of higher education is no longer self-evident, and we have much work to do to make the promise and value of higher education a reality again. Finally, is my college experience - I was a Federal Work Study student and a student-athlete. As such, I had to balance academics with work and practice. While this felt like a lot at times, being a "traditional" student meant I only had those things to focus on and not the stresses or expectations of caring for children or family like so many of today's students have. This frames my work on funding and student success and the need for more equitable and student-centered funding policies that provide institutions and students with the resources and support they need to succeed.
What do you think is a signature way HCM works on behalf of its clients?
→ I'd say it combines building trusted relationships, leveraging expertise, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to quality and rigor. This combination helps us provide responsive and relevant strategies to drive meaningful change grounded in each client's context and needs.
What do you strive to see improved over the next five years through HCM’s clients?
→ Over the next five years, I strive to see HCM's clients make significant strides in re-establishing a clear and compelling value proposition for higher education. This is crucial because, for too many individuals, the promise of higher education has become a broken one—marked by high costs, questionable relevance, and significant trade-offs. This will require enhancing the significance of higher education and providing students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in a rapidly changing economy; providing real affordability that is a combination of costs, financial aid, and time; flexible, supportive, and innovative pathways that are responsive to today's students; and, of course, student-centered funding reforms that consider the varying level of supports students need, and the resources institutions have access to.
Is there a particular data point that animates your work right now and what is it? Why?
→ Yes, Josh Allen holds the NFL record for four consecutive seasons with 40 combined touchdowns and the most combined touchdowns over the past four NFL seasons.
In all seriousness ... It is the financial challenges many postsecondary institutions will face in the coming years if the status quo prevails. In many states, only public university flagships have long-term economic sustainability, leaving other sectors—community colleges, public regionals, and private non-profits—at significant financial risk. This situation is concerning because these critical access points for higher education will be jeopardized without significant transformation and strategic responses. Such institutions are essential for maintaining affordability, providing access, and training the workforce. The response needs to integrate solutions that address funding inequities, enhance educational relevance, and require some level of institutional transformation. Without these efforts, the pathways to higher education for many individuals, particularly those from underserved communities, will be at risk.
When not working, what can people find you doing?
→ When I’m not working you are likely to find me out running with my favorite training partner, our dog Zoë, coaching or watching one of my children’s many sporting activities, dragging my family out for a hike, hanging out with family and friends and staying plugged in to all of my favorite sports teams - especially the Buffalo Bills!
