Martin J. Blank has been active in early childhood development, education reform and community development. He served as president of the Institute for Educational Leadership from 2009-2017. Marty led IEL in its mission to equip leaders to work together across boundaries to build effective systems that prepare children and youth for college, careers, and citizenship. Blank was associated with IEL for more than 30 years, focusing his work on building bridges between schools and other institutions, including early childhood, with assets that can support student success.

Blank also served as the director of the Coalition for Community Schools, a network of organizations and institutions at the local, state, and national levels working to unite schools and communities. A significant part of his work addressed how to build stronger relationships between schools and early childhood programs.

He is the co-author of Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools, Education and Community Building: Connecting Two Worlds and Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Pro-family System of Education and Human Services.

Marty was involved with local activities in the District of Columbia. He is the former Chair of D.C. VOICE, an education reform collaborative, and Managing Partner of the Management Team of the Early Childhood Collaborative. He has a B.A. from Columbia University, 1965, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He served as a VISTA Volunteer in the Missouri Bootheel.