Bolinas resident Martina Johnson-Kent, a business
executive and former director of the California Council for International
Trade who received a commendation from President Bill Clinton for her
contributions to US trade policy, died Tuesday, Oct. 4, from breast
cancer. She was 48.
A community member since 1997, when she married longtime
Bolinas resident Roger Kent, who died from melanoma three years ago,
Ms. Johnson-Kent left an earlier career in geology to become an international
business manager.
While serving as executive director of CCIT, she also
sat on the boards of directors of the International Diplomacy Council
and the Pan American Society, and was selected for Leadership California.
After leaving CCIT she became director of corporate
relations at San Francisco's Star Media, Inc., an online network for
Spanish and Portuguese speakers. She raised funds for the Bolinas Fire
Department and was a private consultant whose clients included Wildlife
Works.
Pursued careers in science, business
Ms. Johnson-Kent had an ability to relate to people
from all walks of life. "Martina was all about building relationships,"
said her sister, Lucinda Johnson. "She had a unique gift for pairing
people together."
Ms. Johnson-Kent's family lived for 35 years in Puerto
Rico, where her father ran an assembly business. Born on Feb. 3, 1957,
she earned a bachelor's degree in geography at Georgetown University
before going to work for the US Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia.
She later earned a master's degree in international management from
the American School of International Management, known commonly as Thunderbird,
in Glendale, Arizona.
Before moving to San Francisco in the late 1980s,
Ms. Johnson-Kent worked for a New York bank.
Remembered for charisma
Sparkly and charismatic, "she had a vibrant mind that
constantly questioned and challenged all around her, and a deep spirituality
that brought her peace," family members said.
Ms. Johnson-Kent is survived by her parents, Martin
H. and Margaret D. Johnson; sister and brother-in-law, Meleta J. and
Steven Kardos, all of Elizabethton, Tennessee; sister and brother-in-law,
Lucinda B. Johnson and Randall Hicks of Duluth, Minnesota; brothers
and sisters-in-law, Dennis H. and Joyce Johnson; Andrew S. and Bertha
Johnson, all of Wilmington, North Carolina; and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of her life will be held at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 16, at Commonweal, 451 Mesa Rd., Bolinas.
Family members suggest that any memorial contributions
be made to the Bolinas Fire Department Project, Friends of the Bolinas/Stinson
Library, or the Marin Human Society.
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