Email Updates
Subscribe to Feeds
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman: January Contreras
January Contreras was appointed Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman for the Department of Homeland Security by Secretary Janet Napolitano in November 2009.
In this role, Contreras leads the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, which is made up of a staff dedicated to improving the quality of citizenship and immigration services delivered to the public. The Ombudsman’s Office accomplishes this on a one-on-one basis through case assistance, as well as system-wide by recommending actions to improve the effective administration of immigration benefits.
To carry out this mission, Contreras meets with community leaders and immigration professionals across the country to gain insight that can be converted into problem-solving action. Under her leadership, the Ombudsman’s Office will continue to grow as a resource where people and employers can find assistance to resolve problems faced when seeking citizenship or immigration services.
Contreras also serves as the Department’s staff designee to the White House Council on Women and Girls, and previously served as a senior advisor to Secretary Napolitano, where she contributed during transition of administrations and helped lead the Department’s response to the H1N1 flu.
Contreras came to the Department as a veteran of public service in state and local government. She most recently led the Arizona Department of Health Services, managing nearly 2,000 employees and overseeing the state's public health and behavioral health systems, and previously served as an advisor to then-Governor Janet Napolitano. Contreras also directed federal, state, and tribal relations for Arizona’s Medicaid agency. In addition, Ms. Contreras served as an assistant attorney general and a deputy county attorney prosecuting crimes, including white collar health care fraud, in the state of Arizona.
Contreras is a graduate of the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
This page was last modified on May 27, 2011