our team
Care, led with care.
Robert Espinoza, Founder & CEO
Robert Espinoza is the Founder and CEO of The CareWorks Project, where he helps leaders redesign care, workforce, and long-term care systems for a rapidly changing world. A nationally recognized care systems strategist, writer, and public thinker, he advises organizations across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors on strategy, innovation, and systems change.
Before founding The CareWorks Project, Robert served as Chief Executive Officer of the National Skills Coalition and Executive Vice President of Policy at PHI, the nation's leading authority on the direct care workforce. For more than two decades, he has worked at the intersection of caregiving, workforce development, aging, equal opportunity, and economic security.
Robert is a Leadership & Society Fellow at the University of Chicago and an Expert Advisor to the Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care at the University of California, San Francisco. He has also served as a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and as Distinguished Fellow and Senior Advisor at the National Academy of Social Insurance.
A frequent keynote speaker and trusted advisor, Robert has testified before the United States Congress, authored more than 100 publications, and been recognized nationally for his leadership, including being named to the Care 100 by the Care Guild. Through his work, he helps organizations anticipate change, connect ideas across sectors, and build stronger care systems that improve lives and expand opportunities.
Whether advising organizations, convening cross-sector partnerships, or writing about the future of care, Robert advances one central conviction: the systems that support caregiving and work shape nearly every aspect of our lives. Building stronger care systems is not only essential for older adults, people with disabilities, workers, and families—it is fundamental to creating a more prosperous, resilient, and human future for everyone.
Photos courtesy of UnidosUS and Milken Institute.
Experienced Leadership Through Service.
Some of the most meaningful work happens around a board table, in committee meetings, and through partnerships that rarely make headlines.
Robert Espinoza has served alongside leaders from across the country to strengthen organizations, inform national policy, guide research, and help shape the future of aging, disability, and long-term care.
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Served as Board Chair, guiding governance, strategic planning, and board leadership for one of the nation's leading organizations advancing aging. (2020–2026)
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Served on the National Advisory Council, advising workforce strategy, product development, and innovation for one of the nation's largest online training platforms for home care. (2023–2025)
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Served as a Federal Appointee to the National Outreach and Education Committee, advising strategies to improve education, outreach, and engagement with diverse communities nationwide. (2015–2019)
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Serves as Governance Committee Chair, strengthening board governance, recruitment, bylaws, and leadership to support long-term organizational effectiveness. (2021–Present)
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Served on the Advisory Committee for the Reframing Aging Initiative, advancing more effective public narratives about aging through national communications guidance. (2019–2025)
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Served as a Founding Advisory Member of the Long-Term Care Equality Index, helping establish national standards for LGBTQ+ inclusion and cultural competence in long-term care settings. (2018-2019)
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Served as a Forum Member for the Aging, Disability, and Independence Forum, contributing expertise to national discussions on aging, disability, caregiving, and evidence-based policy. (2015–2023)
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Served as Nominations Committee Chair, leading member recruitment and strengthening the Academy's national leadership and intellectual community. (2020–2025)
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Served as Workforce Track Co-Chair for the National Research Summit on Dementia Care and Services, helping shape national workforce priorities and research recommendations. (2019–2020)
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Served as Board Member (in addition to Chief Executive Officer), partnering with board leadership to strengthen governance, strategy, succession planning, and long-term organizational growth. (2025–2026)
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Serves as an Expert Advisor, providing strategic guidance on national research examining long-term care workforce trends, policy, employment, and workforce development. (2024–Present)
Our Team
Senior Adviser, Audio Strategy & StorytellingMitch Bluestein
Senior Adviser, Growth & Business StrategyMichael Callahan
Founder & CEORobert Espinoza
Strategic Adviser for Community Leadership & Systems ChangeJennifer Godinez
Senior Advisor, Clinical Strategy & Care DeliveryJay Mesrobian, MD, MBA
Creative DirectorRenata Radoman
Director of Research Lina Stepick, PhD
Senior Advisor, Health Systems Strategy & PartnershipJennifer Vachon
