Jim Taylor received an MBA from the University of Chicago and had a successful career in IBM finance.  His wife Geri was diagnosed in 2012 with mild cognitive impairment, later clarified as Alzheimer’s disease.  Geri and Jim have spoken to over ten thousand people across the US and in Europe to address the stigma of Alzheimer’s, living well with dementia, and promoting clinical trial participation.

In September 2020, the couple was awarded the Perennial Hero Award by the Alliance for Aging Research (DC) for their Alzheimer’s advocacy.  Jim is an FDA appointed Alzheimer’s patient advocate, serving on panels of experts which recommends whether FDA should approve new Alzheimer’s drugs and devices.  In June 2021, he was appointed by Governor Cuomo as a patient advocate on the New York State Council for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Illnesses.  He is also a co-founder and CEO of Memory Advocate Peers (MAP), currently a New York City pilot program with pairs newly diagnosed individuals with dementia and their care partners with a trained volunteer mentor to bring emotional support, information about living well with dementia, and personal support in finding clinical trials.