Dr. DeTorres has served in higher education as a Program Specialist/Administrator and a Tenured Professor. He has received his BA in Business Administration from San Francisco State University, MA in Public Administration from John F. Kennedy University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis and Administration from Golden Gate University. Dr. DeTorres is a tenured professor for the Business and Real Estate Program at Contra Costa College, teaching business management and law courses. He teaches organizational leadership programs at Bradman University.

In 1976, Dr. DeTorres was the first native-born Chamorro (from Guam) to be elected to a stateside City Council position in the United States. Follow by a reelection in 1980 in the city of Pittsburg, California- serving twice as Mayor. He has served on many professional statewide committees and has focused his efforts in the last two decades on diversity and equity in higher education, focusing on issues affecting Asian and Pacific Islander populations. He now resides in Oakley, California with his family and is a proud board member of NCC-NPIEN