Dr. Michael Martin
Senior Economist
American Road and Transportation Builders Association

Dr. Michael Frederick Martin joins the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) after 15 years in academia and the private sector. 

Dr Martin, a native of Michigan, attended Michigan State University, where he received a BA in economics in 1979. In 1986, he completed his doctoral studies in economics at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. 

For the next six, years, Dr. Martin was a professor of economics at Tufts University and Colby College in the United States, as well as at Doshisha University in Japan and Hong Kong Baptist University. During this time, he published numerous articles on economic development in Asia, particularly on China’s economic reforms. 

Between 1994 and 1998, Dr. Martin was the Assistant Chief Economist for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a private corporation devoted to the promotion of Hong Kong’s international trade in goods and services. During his time at the HKTDC, in addition to his assigned research and administrative duties, Dr. Martin served as the HKTDC’s primary spokesperson on economics and trade for the international media, as well as a member of the HKTDC’s speech writing team. 

In 1996, Dr. Martin married Ms. Meipo Fun of Hong Kong. They currently reside in Takoma Park, Maryland. 

Dr. Martin is proficient in Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. He also holds a third-degree (sandan) black belt in Aikido, a Japanese martial art.