Rudy A. Contreras, M.A., MSG

Rudy Contreras is the CEO of Southern California Resource Services and Fiesta Educativa. After Honorably Serving in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Contreras has dedicated over 22 years towards working with and for people with disabilities. Mr. Contreras is the CEO of Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL), 1 of the 28 Centers for Independent Living in the State of California.

In 2016, he Co-Founded the First Annual Disability Pride Parade and Festival in the City of Downey. The success and need for this historic event quickly became an Annual Event now hosted in the city of East Los Angeles, garnering the support of over 3,000 people on an annual basis.

Believing in all services and programs being consumer driven, the need to bring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to the disability community was long awaited. In 2017 Mr. Contreras launched the first ever STEM program designed specifically for high school youth with disabilities, in partnership with the Columbia Memorial Space Center, a group that successfully engineered a Braille Embosser made of Lego Robotics.

Mr. Contreras along with the East Los Angeles College launched the first ever dual enrollment STEM program for high school youth with disabilities in the Country. Allowing youth with disabilities to participate in a 2-year fully accredited college program while in high school. With a 100% pass rate, these students were presented with a certification Engineering Design & Graphic Design from East LA College.

In 2019, Mr. Contreras designed and launched the first Center for Independent Living vendored College Based Program (E.D.G.E.) for people with Developmental Disabilities at Compton College. A program that allows all people regardless of disability to attain an A.A./A.S. degree of their chosen path. Today, E.D.G.E students can be found in colleges and universities across the state of California going beyond the two year degree path.