Ms. Espejo spearheads the organization’s efforts to improve oral health quality and access for children in California through systems change. Examples include leading a medical-dental collaboration project in Los Angeles County to increase dental utilization among children under age 6 enrolled in Medi-Cal and assisting with the implementation of a statewide pediatric oral health action plan. Currently, she leads a project to support local oral health programs working to establish or expand school dental programs in the Northern and San Joaquin Valley regions of the state. She also leads legislative efforts to increase access to and coverage of topical fluoride varnish for children and regulatory efforts to ensure the community health worker Medi-Cal benefit is leveraged to navigate children to oral health services. She has served as a leader and member on national, state, and local advisory boards, including the National Oral Health Progress & Equity Network (OPEN), the California Oral Health Advisory Partnership, and as chair of the San Mateo County Oral Health Coalition and several local oral health advisory committees.

Prior to working for Children Now, Eileen served as Director of Youth Governance for the Youth Leadership Institute in the Bay Area, as Legislative Affairs Associate at the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, DC and was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.  She graduated cum laude from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Applied Behavioral Sciences.