A firm believer in the power of education, Dr. Contreras has dedicated his life to teaching local youth. He has spent more than 30 years working within the Azusa Unified School District (AUSD), starting his career as an elementary school assistant and later serving as a middle school mathematics teacher. For the last several years, Dr. Contreras has worked in administrative positions, and is currently serving as principal of Center Middle School in Azusa.
In addition to his work as an educator, Dr. Contreras has an extensive background in community service. A life-long resident of Azusa, he has been an active member of his church's parish council, was a member of the Azusa Downtown North Business Advisory Committee and has been appointed a city planning commissioner. Dr. Contreras strives to increase the cultural capital for local youth and is passionate about helping others achieve personal growth. For this reason, he is constantly searching for opportunities to give back and volunteers for a variety of groups within the city.
Dr. Contreras has received several recognitions for his work within AUSD, including being a named teacher of the year twice and being a three-time recipient of the "Teacher Honor Excellence" award. He was also named the 2017 co-administrator of the year for the Association of California School Administrators.
A former student of Citrus College, Dr. Contreras attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance. He later earned a master's degree in cross-cultural education from National University and a doctorate in education, specializing in teacher education in multicultural societies, from USC.
