Dr. Montes is a California Bay Area native and proudly serves as the Principal of San Antonio Elementary School at Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) in East San José, CA. Driven by his passion for cross-cultural exchanges, he spent time in classrooms throughout Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and México and as a U.S. Fulbright Fellow under the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, served as a teaching assistant to undergraduate students at the University of Bahrain’s Center for American Studies. Dr. Montes has served students classified as English learners at both education nonprofits and public-school districts as a teacher and administrator in Florida and California. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.