Nancy Chaires Espinoza

Nancy Chaires Espinoza was appointed to the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education in January 2015. In December 2017, the Board of Trustees selected Ms. Chaires Espinoza to serve as Board President.

Ms. Chaires Espinoza is an active Elk Grove community member having served as Chair of the City of Elk Grove Planning Commission, Vice Chair of the City of Elk Grove Charter Exploratory and Election Reform Committee, and as a member of the School Site Council at Joseph Sims Elementary. She is passionate about her work as a Member of the Board of Directors of CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) Sacramento, where she advocates on behalf of foster youth. She also spent years as a volunteer College Admissions Interviewer for the Harvard Alumni Association of Sacramento.

At the state level, Ms. Chaires Espinoza served as a Senior Consultant with the California State Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state and local government programs. She also analyzed and developed legislation with regard to Education, Public Safety, Health Care and Child Care as a Legislative Aide in the nonprofit sector. During her tenure in Washington DC, she worked in the Executive Office of the President monitoring Congressional action on appropriations.

From 2012-2014, Ms. Chaires Espinoza played a pivotal role with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in leading the work of the Migrant Education Intervention Team. The team conducted a comprehensive review of the program, developed recommendations and implemented necessary changes to improve its effectiveness in supporting the academic achievement of migrant students, making it more transparent and accountable.

Ms. Chaires Espinoza understands the difficulties of navigating the U.S. public school systems for immigrant families having witnessed the barriers her own immigrant parents experienced in trying to raise a family. Despite the complexities, she is grateful to California public schools for having provided her with excellent teachers and committed staff who helped her beat the odds. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and Spanish from Whittier College and completed her Master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Together with her husband, Pablo, and their son, Ms. Chaires Espinoza loves being a part of the Elk Grove Unified School District community.