Meet Our Team
Lisa Safaeinili, MPH
Executive Director
See bio below
Karen Escalante-Dalton
Director of Development
See bio below
Espy Gonzalez,CNA, MAOM
Clinic Manager
See bio below
Cynthia Soto
Programs Manager
See bio below
Alicia Rincon, RN
Teen Program Manager
See bio below
Bob Peltzman, RPH
IT/Dispensary Coordinator
Belen Quezada, MPH
Senior Program Coordinator
Ofelia Flores
Chief Financial Officer
Marco Ruiz, RN-BSN, MA
Case Manager
Jessica Perez, RN
Case Manager
Laura Hernandez, RDN
Program Coordinator
Martha Torres
Community Health Worker
Rocio Levaro
Community Health Worker
Claudia Grimaldo
Community Health Worker
Maria Alcala, MFT intern
Counselor
Lisa Safaeinili, M.P.H.
Executive Director
Lisa Safaeinili, M.P.H., has experience working with public and private non-profits agencies since 1988. She has a B.S. degree from Iowa State University in Pre-Medical Studies, is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, and has a Masters Degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley.
Lisa is a speaker at national and international conferences, as well as at the state, county, and local level. She has been instrumental in starting a variety of programs including a countywide health and safety program for Cooperative Extension through Cornell University in New York. She also founded the S.A.R.T. International Victimization Prevention Program through Federal Stop Violence Against Women funds and was recognized by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno for this model program. Her work has been featured both locally and nationally, including federal publications like Promising Practices for the Get A Grip Teen Healthy Communities / Alcohol Prevention Program she developed for the State of Iowa, and a social norms project called “Filling the Media Gap,” which she began in the 1990’s for universities in Iowa. Lisa has written, developed, and managed grants of over $20 million for various non-profit organizations.
Prior to moving to California in August 1997, Lisa taught a senior-level non-profit management and health promotion course at Iowa State University. She developed and implemented statewide public health projects involving college-age and high school youth for 7 years. Lisa also served as the Manager of Safety and Health for the University.
Since 2002, Lisa has been the Executive Director of Westminster Free Clinic. She has been able to grow the organization from serving the needs of 500 homeless patients/year to serving the health needs of over 14,000 uninsured working poor and homeless families of Ventura County each year. She has grown the student volunteer program from 7 high school students each year to over 250 high school Interns (more than 50% are low-income and bi-lingual). She developed WFC’s 2-year healthcare training and internship program, which allows local high school students the opportunity to serve their community, develop transferrable job skills, and consider careers in healthcare.
In addition to growing the free medical, dental, vision and mental wellness services offered by the Clinic, Lisa has spearheaded many programs and services addressing the social determinants of health and whole person care over the past 20+ years, making WFC a Community Care Center that is able to offer many life enriching services, all supporting individuals and families at the clinic and in the community. Her focus has also been on creating environments where clinic patients and their families live healthier, and where the healthy choice is the easy choice. Lisa is a huge proponent of inspiring youth and adults of low-income, uninsured families to reach their goals; offering them the tools and skills to grow, thrive, and support and inspire others.
Lisa is vice president of the California Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and is an executive board member of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Karen Escalante-Dalton
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Karen Escalante-Dalton has ten years of expertise as a grantmaker, having served as Program Officer at The California Endowment, a leading health-focused foundation in California and the US. There, she managed a diverse portfolio of grants aimed at increasing access to healthcare and eliminating health inequities by addressing the social determinants of health in low-income disadvantaged communities. Earlier in her career, she held senior-level positions at The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), a Latino think tank dedicated to conducting policy research on issues of relevance to Latinos in the US, and at the
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), a national nonprofit with a mission to increase the participation of Latinos in the nation’s political process. She also held various positions in the newsroom at Univision and has worked as a consultant for a variety of non-profits.
Karen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from The George Washington University, and an Associate’s Degree in language translation and interpretation from the Instituto Superior de Intérpretes y Traductores. She received a French Baccalaureate from the Lycée Franco-Mexicain. She was raised and schooled in Mexico City and speaks English, Spanish and French.
Esperanza Gonzalez, MOAM
CLINIC MANAGER
Raised in Ventura County Fillmore, Esperanza Gonzalez has worked for Ventura County Human Services Agency for over 25 years. She has a BA in Psychology and Master of Arts in Organizational Management. She has managed the CalFresh, Medi-Cal and CalWORKs public programs. She currently manages RAIN Transitional Living Center, Espy was the case manager of WFC for 20 years and recently was promoted to Clinic Manager. Espy excels at all she does and can manage any of WFC’s programs when needed. In her free time Espy loves cooking, spending time with her family and entertaining.
Cynthia Soto
PROGRAM MANAGER
Cynthia Soto is a UC Berkeley graduate with her BA in Sociology and minor in Journalism. She was born and raised in Oxnard and is passionate about serving residents of Ventura County. During her 4 years Cynthia has worked to provide seamless operations and was excited to have the opportunity to manage the opening of a new clinic in Santa Paula. She is honored to be part of an organization dedicated to enriching its community members, by helping them to lead healthier lives.
In 2023 Cynthia was recognized as a Forty Under 40 Honoree by Greater Conejo Valley’s Chamber of Commerce for her achievements and contributions to the betterment of the community. Cynthia is also part of Ventura County’s Leadership Academy Cohort XXIX which has aided her in better understanding the needs of the county while also working with community leaders to share knowledge and resources.
Alicia Rincon, RN
TEEN PROGRAM MANAGER
Alicia Rincon, is a registered nurse. Her passion is empowering high school students to do their best and learn about careers in healthcare. In addition to training, supervising, and mentoring over 250 teens each year at WFC’s 3 clinics, she also teaches a medical assistant course so high school students can become MA certified when they graduate high school.
Alicia started volunteering at Westminster Free Clinic in 2010, and served on the governing board of directors for two years. She was then hired as the Diabetic Clinic Coordinator in 2016 and later as the Clinic Manager. Alicia also helped kick off the Corazones Sanos (Healthy Hearts) Program; she provided health education, inspired participants to make life-style changes and helped with administrative and organizational tasks necessary to implement the program for over 200 participants.
Alicia really enjoys the students at WFC and wanted to lead WFC’s Teen Healthcare Training & Internship program. Alicia has been the Teen Manager for a number of years now and feels she has found her calling. Alicia still helps out in other areas as needed, but finds working with the teens inspiring and rewarding, and as a Spanish speaking immigrant herself, a place she can create a pathway to healthcare careers for young people, especially low-income youth.
Alicia’s goal in life is to live fully and intensively while making a difference to people around her, including patients, family, and friends.
Westminster Community Care Center proudly serves Ventura County.