Merinda Watkins-Martin

Merinda Watkins-Martin is a Houston native who was born and raised in Acres Homes. She is a graduate of Rice University. Merinda has been actively involved in the community for decades. She began volunteering during her time at Rice when she founded and managed a tutoring program, Knowledge Club, for Osborne Elementary and Wesley Elementary. Merinda has chaired and is currently the co-chair of the African American Art Advisory Association, Five A, a patron group at the Museum of Fine Arts that helps celebrate the works of African and African American Artist and build the Museum’s permanent collection. During her time as a chair, Merinda has helped engage the museum with Houston’s African American community through community events and supporting exhibitions by artists of color. Merinda is also a Trustee for the Museum of Fine Arts and actively supports the museum’s inclusion goals.

Merinda Martin is the owner of Lemond Kitchen, a full-service catering company that has operated in Houston for over 20 years. Lemond Kitchen has provided outstanding catering to universities, nonprofits, corporations, and individuals. During the pandemic, Lemond Kitchen managed the City of Houston H.E.R.S. program. Lemond managed over 18 restaurants that provided over 250,000 meals to residents affected by the pandemic.

Merinda is also the Executive Director of the Lemond Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing educational opportunities and helping to eliminate food insecurity and food deserts within the community. Lemond Foundation has provided thousands of meals to Houstonians who were affected by natural disasters. The foundation also runs Chris’s Library, a program that offers new books to encourage children to develop a love for reading, and an apprenticeship program for culinary students.

Merinda completed Goldman Sachs 10K Business Program in 2018. She currently is a mentor for the Goldman Sachs Black in Business program, where she assists new entrepreneurs of color to develop strategies to help make their businesses successful. Merinda chaired the Accessibility and Inclusion Board for Social Sciences at Rice University and is a current member of the Advisory Board of Social Science.

Merinda is married to Reginald Martin. They have two children, Elizabeth, a senior at Rice University, and Christopher, a freshman at Strake Jesuit.