January Contreras

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JANUARY CONTRERAS

January is a public interest attorney, nonprofit executive, and experienced administrator who has dedicated her career to creating greater safety and prosperity for children and families. In Arizona, January served as a cabinet member and advisor to Gov. Janet Napolitano. January oversaw AZDHS as the Interim Director, managing employees/$2 billion budget. She also served as Assistant Director of Health Policy Advisor to the Governor, and designee to the Children’s Cabinet, Tribal Summit delegations, and Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board. January was a leader in pandemic preparedness statewide.January served in the Obama Administration in 2009 as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary and the Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services. January was a designee to the White House Council on Women and Girls. She launched the Council to Combat Violence Against Women, resulting in new federal training and guidance to ensure that immigrant victims of crime are treated with the same dignity and protection that all victims deserve. January began her career in 1997 as a Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and an Assistant Attorney General. She returned to working with victims of crime in 2013, when she launched Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS). ALWAYS is a legal aid center for survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence, children and youth who have been impacted by the foster care system, and runaway and homeless youth. January ran for Attorney General in 2018, becoming the first Latina/o candidate in Arizona\'s history to garner more than one million votes. January returned to lead ALWAYS after the election.January was a member of the Board of Directors of Los Abogados Bar Association, for more than ten years. She served on the steering committee for the Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Sex Trafficking, the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Fostering Advocates Arizona, the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network, and Mujer. In 2020, January was honored as the State Bar of Arizona\'s Legal Aid Attorney of the Year, and by the YWCA with the Leadership Tribute Award. She received the Judge Learned Hand Public Service Award in 2017, the highest honor the American Jewish Committee bestows on members of the legal profession. She has been honored by Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business and Top Forty Under 40, and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce\'s 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40.