Meet the National Commander

Daniel Contreras, National Commander

Daniel Contreras, a service-connected disabled Army veteran, was elected national commander for the nearly 1 million-member DAV at the organization’s 2024 national convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

Contreras served as a combat medic and nurse from 1980 to 1996, achieving the rank of sergeant first class. From 2000 to 2008, he helped veterans receive their earned benefits as a DAV national service officer and area supervisor.

Contreras, is a past commander of the Department of California and currently serves as the state’s adjutant and treasurer. He also serves as an advisor on DAV’s national board of directors. He has served on the National Executive Committee and was elected to the board of directors for the National Service Foundation, where he served from 2009 until 2019.

Contreras is a life member of Chapter 99 in Oxnard, California. In addition to his various DAV leadership and managerial positions at the national and state levels, he was appointed to chair the California Mexican American Veterans Memorial Committee by former California Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown.

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