Major General (retired) Lawrence M. Martin, Jr. served his country on active duty for over 32 years before returning to Tampa in 2017. His family first came to Tampa in 2008 when he served as the wing commander at MacDill Air Force Base. He is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours in several aircraft. He served in Southwest Asia, taught history at the United States Air Force Academy and held leadership assignments at Air Mobility Command, U.S. Pacific Command, US Transportation Command and Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington, DC. Prior to his military retirement, he served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, where he oversaw 226 Washington, DC-based employees managing Air Force international matters with US government, industry partners and over 100 worldwide air forces. 

He is a Senior Consultant for Two Blue Aces Consulting, specializing in assisting organizations with strategic planning, process improvement, leadership development, building alliances, international relations and crisis management. 

Maj Gen Martin serves as President of the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, a Member of the University of South Florida World Advisory Council, a Board Member of the Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation, and was the volunteer President and Chief Executive Officer of the Medal of Honor Convention Tampa Bay 2019. 

A native of Minnesota, Maj Gen Martin was a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, the U.S. Air Force Squadron Officer School, and the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, graduated from the U.S. Air War College with highest academic distinction and earned a Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.