Karen Love is a gerontologist and nationally known dementia specialist. She began professionally as a speech therapist and transitioned into long-term care administration in nursing homes, assisted living, and continuing care retirement communities. She has worked to advance practices of excellence in dementia care for over 30 years; the past 20 years at a national leadership level. She co-founded the Dementia Action Alliance, a national nonprofit organization creating a better society in which to live with dementia, in 1996. She has received two Small Business Innovative Research Awards for dementia research [2010, 2012], conducted numerous research projects focused on dementia care funded by the National Institute on Aging, and raised and launched three wonderful daughters.