Col Martin was born April 13, 1941, as the fourth child of seven children, on a farm near Kite, Georgia. Cecil graduated valedictorian from Kite High School in 1959 and went on to graduate with honors with AA, BS in Ed with a major in Mathematics, MS in Information & CS and PhD in EE degrees from Brewton Parker College, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Tech and Auburn University respectively.

Upon graduating from college May 1963 Cecil started as a GS-11 Mathematician working as a cartographer at the Air Force Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (now Defense Mapping Agency) making maps of the moon. Cecil officially entered into the USAF February 1964. Col Martin's first assignment was as a Missile Launch Officer at Sheppard AFB, Texas. During this assignment he met and married Virginia (Ginger) R Grabfelder. While in this career field he supported several missile models. Subsequently he was assigned to the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information (C4I) career field.

In the C4I career field he served in several levels of technical positions in AFTC, AFSAC, HQ USAF, and AFCC organizations. He went on to serve in several levels of management and commander positions as well. His first assignment as senior manager was in the Air Force Electronic Security Command (AFESC) supporting the world wide missions of the National Security Agency, Cryptology Support Center, AF Electronic Warfare Center, and Joint Electronic Warfare Center. Then as Deputy Chief of Staff Information Systems at HQESC he continued to support worldwide SIGINT, COMMINT, tactical and intelligence missions.

Col Martin served his last assignments in the USAF in the Air Force Space Command (AFSPACECOM). His first assignment in AFSPACECOM was as Director of software systems for the worldwide missile warning, space surveillance/control, missile launch, and air defense missions. Then as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Systems Management at HQ AFSPACECOM he supported the worldwide missions of USSPACECOM, AFSPACECOM and NORAD. In particular he was responsible for maintaining and implementing C4I systems in support of missile warning, space surveillance/control, missile launch, and air defense missions. While serving in this position he represented the USSPACECOM and AFSPACECOM as chairman of a group of senior officers from other DoD organizations charted to determine the current and future logistics and maintenance requirements for C4I systems to support missile warning, space surveillance/control, missile launch, and air defense missions.

Concurrently while serving in various AF assignments, Col Martin completed Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College. Cecil also held part time adjunct professor positions at George Washington University, American University, Auburn University, UT San Antonio, St. Mary's University, and University of Colorado. He retired from the Air Force March 1988.

Shortly after Cecil retired from the USAF, he started working at the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. While there he was part of a team that developed and transitioned the CMMI Methodology that was based upon the DoD systems development methodology. He moved to Austin in November 1992 as Senior VP at ISSI until he took a professor's position at Texas State University to develop and implement a software engineering curriculum to satisfy requirements for a MS degree in Software Engineering. Col Martin is currently the owner of MPSI that assists government and industry organizations apply the CMMI Methodology. He also has served as a part time adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

After 49 years Cecil and Ginger (Virginia) have three children, seven grandkids, and one great grandson. Currently, Col Martin is retired and occupies his time with family, golf, church and community activities.