Theresa Esquerra is an Attorney-Advisor with the Social Security Administration's Office of Appellate Operations. She advises Administrative Appeals Judges about whether to grant or deny review of Title II and Title XVI disability decisions.

In 2009, she received the Scattergood Emerging Scholars Fellowship administered by Active Minds where she undertook a study of the mental illness disclosure requirements on state bar moral character and fitness applications in every United States jurisdiction. She discovered that although many states have adopted narrowly tailored disclosures, more could be done to clarify existing terms. She has also served on the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law's Leadership 21 Committee, which recognizes young leaders in the mental health profession.

Theresa earned a LL.M. from The George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in Sacramento, California, and an A.B. from Harvard University in Philosophy. Before attending law school, she worked for several years for movie producers in Hollywood.