Arizona School Boards Association
Panfilo H. Contreras
Executive Director
Arizona School Boards Association
Panfilo H. Contreras was named executive director of the Arizona School Boards Association in May 1998. Prior to assuming the post with ASBA in July 1998, Contreras was Program Manager for the Family Assistance Administration of the Department of Economic Security in Tucson for 18 years.
Contreras was a member of the Flowing Wells School Board for 11.5 years, serving as board president in 1989 and 1998. He was an officer on the ASBA Board of Directors for four years, including serving as president in 1995 and immediate past president in 1996. He has served on the ASBA Hispanic Native American Indian School Board Caucus. He served on the National School Boards Association Federal Relations Network, the NSBA Nominating Committee. As the ASBA Executive Director, he has served on the National School Boards Association Executive Directors Liaison Committee and the Leadership Development Subcommittee.
A native Arizonan, Contreras has been active in many community organizations. He was a member of the Tucson-Pima Metropolitan Education Commission and served on the Tucson Mayor’s Education Task Force. He is past president of the Tucson Chapter of the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum. He served on the Board of Directors of the Community Food Bank in Tucson over 17 years including serving as board President. He served on the Association of Arizona Food Banks Board of Directors also serving as Vice President and President. Contreras currently serves as President on the Board of Directors of the Hands Across the Border Foundation, a project involving Arizona schools in cultural and educational exchanges with Mexican and Canadian schools. He also serves on the Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center. In addition, Contreras is the Secretary of and serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Arizona Business and Education Coalition.