Dalia Contreras, the CEO of City Education Partners (CEP), is no stranger to the challenges and opportunities in the field of education. With a career that began in the classroom and led her through various leadership roles, Contreras has always been driven by a desire to understand and improve the systems that shape educational experiences. Today, she is at the helm of CEP, where she is channeling her extensive experience into creating a transformative impact on education in San Antonio. Contreras was in the SVPSA Fellowship Class 3.

Contreras’ journey to CEP was anything but linear. Before taking on her current role, she served as the incoming regional superintendent for KIPP San Antonio Charter Schools during a significant merger that formed KIPP Texas, combining schools in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. It was during this time that Contreras first became acquainted with CEP, as KIPP was a grantee of the organization, receiving funds to scale and expand its schools. When the merger shifted the superintendent role, Contreras saw it as an opportune moment to reassess her career trajectory.

“I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do next,” she recalls. “Ever since I was a classroom teacher, I kept trying to understand the bigger system. That curiosity propelled me into becoming a school principal, and eventually, I wanted to work across different cities and states, which I did. The opportunity with CEP presented a unique chance to have a citywide view of education—something I had never quite considered before.”

CEP’s mission is ambitious yet clear: to ensure that every child in San Antonio attending a tuition-free, open-enrollment public school has access to a high-quality education. Contreras emphasizes that this mission goes beyond traditional educational outcomes. 

“We want students to be able to powerfully engage with life,” she explains. “Life is unpredictable, and our goal is to prepare students to navigate whatever challenges or opportunities come their way with confidence, knowledge, and urgency.”

Under Contreras’ leadership, CEP has expanded its focus to include a broader range of initiatives. Initially, the organization concentrated on the urban core of San Antonio, where data revealed the highest concentrations of students of color, low-performing schools, and families facing significant hardships. Today, CEP’s efforts are spread across the city, focused on three primary areas: increasing the number of high-quality, innovative school models, strengthening the teacher and school leader pipeline, and empowering families with the knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about their children’s education.

Contreras is particularly passionate about the role of teachers in the educational ecosystem. 

“Having a great teacher in every classroom and a great leader at every school is crucial,” she says. “We’re committed to making San Antonio a teaching destination, a place where talented educators want to come and build their careers.”

One of CEP’s most recent initiatives, Teach San Antonio (TeachSA), is a testament to this commitment. TeachSA, which launched just after Labor Day aims to simplify the process for individuals interested in becoming teachers by providing a centralized platform for information about certification, professional development, job opportunities, and more. The program was born out of a collaborative effort with local stakeholders and has already secured three years of funding.

Contreras is quick to acknowledge that the work is far from done. Despite significant progress, challenges remain—especially in areas like teacher workforce diversity and student literacy rates. However, she remains optimistic, bolstered by the successes our education programs across the city has already achieved. Because San Antonio is a city that collaborates and has so many who want to come to the table to work together, we have witnessed an increase in the number of students attending A or B-rated schools in San Antonio’s urban core from 6,000 to nearly 54,000. 

For Contreras, these numbers represent more than just statistics—they are a reflection of real, meaningful change in the lives of thousands of children. “When you think about where those kids were headed and what their future might have looked like without these changes, the impact is truly transformational,” she says. “And we’re just getting started.”

As City Education Partners continues to drive educational change in San Antonio, the potential for collaboration with organizations like Social Venture Partners San Antonio (SVPSA) becomes increasingly vital. Dalia Contreras sees this partnership as a unique opportunity to leverage local resources and expertise to amplify CEP’s impact.

“San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the country, yet from a monetary perspective, we cannot compete with cities like Austin, Houston, and Dallas. That’s where partnerships with organizations like SVPSA become critical. They can help us attract national dollars and bring more resources to our city,” Dalia explains.

For SVPSA members, getting involved with CEP can take many forms. Whether through direct financial contributions, thought partnership, or leveraging networks, there are numerous ways to support the mission. “We believe in the power of relationships. When someone engages with us, we want to ensure that their time, talent, and treasure are used to advance the work for kids in the most meaningful way possible,” Dalia adds.

As she continues to lead CEP into the future, Contreras remains committed to the power of relationships. Whether it’s through building networks with local and national funders or engaging directly with the community, she believes that collaboration is key to making the impossible possible. And with her unwavering dedication to the students of San Antonio, it’s clear that Dalia Contreras is a force for positive change in the world of education.

To hear more about City Education Partnership, visit their website at https://cityeducationpartners.org/contact/and fill out the contact card.