Secretary Grier Martin of The North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs

Grier Martin is currently serving as the Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.

Secretary Grier Martin was appointed to lead the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NC DMVA) by Governor Roy Cooper on April 1, 2024.

Most recently, Secretary Martin performed the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In this capacity he was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on all matters related to civilian and military personnel policies, reserve integration, military, community, and family policy, total force manpower and resources. He also oversaw the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency.

Prior to this position, Secretary Martin served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly for 17 years. In this capacity, he chaired the House Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, co-chaired the House Committee on Transportation Appropriations Committee, and co-chaired the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s Task Force on Behavioral Health Services for the Military and Their Families. He also served as Chair of the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission.

Secretary Martin is a retired Army Reserve soldier with service as a judge advocate and a field artillery officer, serving in Afghanistan in 2002-03. He received a B.A. in history from Davidson College, a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law where he was a Note Editor of the North Carolina Law Review. He also has a Master of Laws in military law with a concentration in international and operational law from the Judge Advocate General’s School. His awards include the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the National Guard Association of the United States Charles Dick Medal of Merit, and the N.C. Disabled American Veterans Legislator of the Year.