Biography
Jesús Armas is a 1986 graduate of the University of Miami where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in chemistry and a minor in biology. After graduating from college, he began his teaching career at his alma mater, Christian Day School. There, he coached basketball and taught several different subjects including chemistry for five years before going to Haines City High School as a science teacher and basketball coach in 1992.
After a two-year stint at Haines City, Dr. Armas relocated back to Palm Beach County to work at Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, from 1994 – 1999. There he taught chemistry and IB Environmental Systems and Societies, coached basketball, and was the school's athletic director.
In 1999, Dr. Armas transferred to Jupiter High School in Jupiter, Florida, to become the school's athletic director. In 2001, while at Jupiter High School, Dr. Armas earned his Master of Science Degree in Science Education and received his certification in School Leadership both from Nova Southeastern University. In 2003 he became an assistant principal at Jupiter High School.
In 2004, Dr. Armas began work as the assistant principal in charge of curriculum at the yet to be constructed Seminole Ridge High School. As the school’s first assistant principal, Dr. Armas was instrumental in the creation of the school’s Biotechnology and Construction Academies, along with the creation of the school’s Advanced Placement Accipiter Program.
In 2006, Dr. Armas was appointed as the principal of Lake Worth Middle School in Lake Worth, Florida. There, Dr. Armas was responsible for the school’s growth that saw it achieve the only two B ratings in the school’s history, the creation of the school’s two Choice Career Academies, Medical Science and Engineering, and the overseeing of the expansion of the campus that included the construction of an 18-classroom wing.
In 2010, Dr. Armas was named principal of Royal Palm Beach High School, a position he held until October of 2021, making him the longest tenured principal in the history of the school. While there he helped Royal Palm Beach High School become an IB World School and introduced several programs and academies, including STEM, Computer Gaming, AICE, AVID, and a Navy JROTC. Dr. Armas led Royal Palm Beach High School through a cultural and systemic change that at the time helped produce, among other things, the school’s only consecutive B ratings, the designation of the “Happiest High School”, and the school’s highest graduation rate of 95%.
Currently the principal of John I. Leonard High School, Dr. Armas throughout his career has developed aspiring leaders. Through his mentorship, 29 of his teachers on assignment or assistant principals have been promoted to next-level administrative positions. Under his leadership, the school has also achieved its highest number of AICE diplomas and reached a school-record graduation rate of 98.5%.
Building on this record of institutional success, Dr. Armas serves as the President of JTD Educational Consultants. Through jesusarmas.com, the firm provides a hub for the proprietary work, leadership insights, and strategic methodologies developed to empower educational administrators. JTD Educational Consultants is dedicated to transforming academic outcomes by cultivating the next generation of high-impact school leaders through proven, executive-level coaching and organizational frameworks.
Dr. Armas, who earned his Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2017, is a Member of the Florida Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (FL-ALAS), the RAND American School Leader Panel, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Dr. Armas is a National Society of High School Scholars Educator of Distinction and has been honored as the School District of Palm Beach County Career and Technical Education Principal of the Year (2010), the School District of Palm Beach County Adult Education Principal of the Year (2019), the School District of Palm Beach County Central Region Principal of the Year (2020), the School District of Palm Beach County Principal of the Year (2020), and the Florida Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Shining Star Educator of the Year (2023).
The son of Cuban political refugees and a native of Belle Glade, Florida, Dr. Armas currently resides in Loxahatchee, Florida with his wife of 38 years, Teresa, and their son, Daniel, a University of Central Florida student and a Royal Palm Beach High School graduate.
After a two-year stint at Haines City, Dr. Armas relocated back to Palm Beach County to work at Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, from 1994 – 1999. There he taught chemistry and IB Environmental Systems and Societies, coached basketball, and was the school's athletic director.
In 1999, Dr. Armas transferred to Jupiter High School in Jupiter, Florida, to become the school's athletic director. In 2001, while at Jupiter High School, Dr. Armas earned his Master of Science Degree in Science Education and received his certification in School Leadership both from Nova Southeastern University. In 2003 he became an assistant principal at Jupiter High School.
In 2004, Dr. Armas began work as the assistant principal in charge of curriculum at the yet to be constructed Seminole Ridge High School. As the school’s first assistant principal, Dr. Armas was instrumental in the creation of the school’s Biotechnology and Construction Academies, along with the creation of the school’s Advanced Placement Accipiter Program.
In 2006, Dr. Armas was appointed as the principal of Lake Worth Middle School in Lake Worth, Florida. There, Dr. Armas was responsible for the school’s growth that saw it achieve the only two B ratings in the school’s history, the creation of the school’s two Choice Career Academies, Medical Science and Engineering, and the overseeing of the expansion of the campus that included the construction of an 18-classroom wing.
In 2010, Dr. Armas was named principal of Royal Palm Beach High School, a position he held until October of 2021, making him the longest tenured principal in the history of the school. While there he helped Royal Palm Beach High School become an IB World School and introduced several programs and academies, including STEM, Computer Gaming, AICE, AVID, and a Navy JROTC. Dr. Armas led Royal Palm Beach High School through a cultural and systemic change that at the time helped produce, among other things, the school’s only consecutive B ratings, the designation of the “Happiest High School”, and the school’s highest graduation rate of 95%.
Currently the principal of John I. Leonard High School, Dr. Armas throughout his career has developed aspiring leaders. Through his mentorship, 29 of his teachers on assignment or assistant principals have been promoted to next-level administrative positions. Under his leadership, the school has also achieved its highest number of AICE diplomas and reached a school-record graduation rate of 98.5%.
Building on this record of institutional success, Dr. Armas serves as the President of JTD Educational Consultants. Through jesusarmas.com, the firm provides a hub for the proprietary work, leadership insights, and strategic methodologies developed to empower educational administrators. JTD Educational Consultants is dedicated to transforming academic outcomes by cultivating the next generation of high-impact school leaders through proven, executive-level coaching and organizational frameworks.
Dr. Armas, who earned his Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2017, is a Member of the Florida Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (FL-ALAS), the RAND American School Leader Panel, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Dr. Armas is a National Society of High School Scholars Educator of Distinction and has been honored as the School District of Palm Beach County Career and Technical Education Principal of the Year (2010), the School District of Palm Beach County Adult Education Principal of the Year (2019), the School District of Palm Beach County Central Region Principal of the Year (2020), the School District of Palm Beach County Principal of the Year (2020), and the Florida Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Shining Star Educator of the Year (2023).
The son of Cuban political refugees and a native of Belle Glade, Florida, Dr. Armas currently resides in Loxahatchee, Florida with his wife of 38 years, Teresa, and their son, Daniel, a University of Central Florida student and a Royal Palm Beach High School graduate.
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