In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Arizona State University. Following graduation, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and subsequently earned a commission in the US Navy. In 1988, he left active duty military service to pursue his civilian career but continued to serve in the United States Navy Reserve. Today, he is a Commander in the Navy Reserve and a Veteran of Desert Storm, the Kosovo Air Campaign, three combat tours in Iraq and a fourth combat tour with the 1st Marine Division in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Sepulveda began his professional career in municipal economic development. Before leaving the public sector in 1996 for the private sector, he served as a senior business development representative for the Arizona Department of Commerce. He began his private sector career at McCarthy Builders Southwest, one of the nations' largest and oldest privately owned general contractors. At McCarthy, he was responsible for business development in the Southwest region and Mexico. In 2000, he left McCarthy and founded Sepulveda Group. Sepulveda Group, based in Arizona, is a Veteran-owned small business specializing in commercial land development, project entitlements and project management. His clients range from individual investors to Fortune 100 companies. During his time in the public and private sector, Sepulveda served two non-consecutive terms on the Chandler City Council – March 1995 to January 2000 and June 2004 to January 2009. Martin Sepulveda has been married to his wife Sheree for 30 years. Their daughter Natalie is a graduate of the University of Arizona and their son Marc is a Navy Reserve Corpsman who has completed combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Martin and Sheree currently live in Chandler and have for the past 25 years.