Martha Zapata

Martha I. Zapata, Ph.D. brings an education-first, people-centered approach to home financing. With a background in psychology, organizational leadership, and community development, she is committed to helping clients go through the process of funding the property of their dreams with clarity, ease, and grace.

Before returning to mortgage lending, Martha spent decades as an educator, nonprofit executive, and advisor, working with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs navigating complex systems. That experience shapes her work today. She believes informed clients make stronger long-term financial decisions — and that homeownership should be approached as a tool for stability, asset-building, and intergenerational wealth — never through pressure or undue urgency.

Martha enjoys working with first-generation homebuyers, self-employed professionals and business owners, and bilingual households who value clear guidance and transparency throughout the lending process. She takes the time to listen, understand each client’s financial goals, explain available options, and thoughtfully answer questions so clients feel informed and confident at every step.

Martha and her clients are supported by an experienced, highly professional team of loan partners at Waterstone Mortgage’s Tulsa Branch — one of the highest-rated mortgage offices in Oklahoma for customer service, integrity, and timely closings.

In addition to her role at Waterstone Mortgage, Martha currently serves as Interim Executive Director of The UMA Center, Inc. and the Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — two nonprofit organizations she helped found and that focus on education, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment.

Her nonprofit work, and the work of The UMA Center, has received multiple community recognitions — most recently being named a finalist for the 2026 Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards, which honor the State’s best-managed nonprofits.

Martha earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from Oklahoma State University, where she spent a decade managing projects, conducting research, and teaching at the university level. She has co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals and is currently completing a book for entrepreneurs.

Outside of work, Martha enjoys simple pleasures such as taking road trips with her husband, Ray; visiting family in Colombia and North Carolina; cooking plant-based meals; and decorating her home in Bella Vista, Arkansas.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Martha is proud to serve clients throughout Oklahoma.