Martina was born and raised in Coal Grove, Ohio. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993 from Marshall University (Huntington, West Virginia) earning a B.A. in political science/pre-law with minors in history and finance. She earned her J.D. in 1996 from Hamline University School of Law, located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 1996, Martina re-located from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Dayton area where she is currently licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio. She is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

In 2002, Martina successfully argued the case of Miller v. Gunckle, 96 Ohio St.3d 359, 2002-Ohio-4932, before the Ohio Supreme Court. In the Miller case, Martina represented the family of a boy who was a pedestrian injured by a speeding driver, and suffered significant injuries to his head, legs, back, arms, and other parts of his body. The parties agreed to arbitration of the claims, and the family received a favorable arbitration result that included pre-judgment interest. On appeal, the Ohio Supreme Court found in favor of the family and decided the family was entitled to receive prejudgment interest on their arbitration award even if the interest caused the total amount recovered to exceed insurance policy limits.

Martina devotes a great deal of her time to municipal law issues and is currently the Law Director for a local municipality. Her practice also encompasses the areas of collection law, business and employment law, civil litigation, bankruptcy (for creditors) and arbitration.

Martina resides in Washington Township with her husband, David Hicks. She enjoys watching Reds baseball, ballroom dancing, traveling, and classic movies.