Sara I. Taylor

Sara I. Taylor is a mental health parent advocate. She is the founder of Rochester’s BIPOC PEEEEEEK, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Parents Elevating their voice to Educate and Empower Each other to Eliminate disparities and inequities in services related to the Emotional health of our Kids.

Ms. Taylor’s personal experiences as a parent of a child living with mental illness has helped her to become a passionate and trusted advocate within her community. Through firsthand knowledge, Ms. Taylor knows the difficulties, barriers and challenges that families face when trying to navigate the mental health care system. She works tirelessly to break down those barriers and uplift her community.

In 2020, the City of Rochester was identified as one of 13 United States cities that were greatly impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic and poor mental health. Ms. Taylor has dedicated her life to serving vulnerable populations in Rochester and surrounding communities.

BIPOC PEEEEEEK is a network of parents and caregivers of children impacted by mental illness or other behavioral health and developmental conditions. Recognizing the challenges that people of color are facing due to the pandemic, Ms. Taylor has become a voice for people of color struggling to navigate the mental health systems in the Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Utica areas. She works for the advancement of the behavioral health system to better serve BIPOC children and families.

Having grown up in poverty, Ms. Taylor has focused her entire career on implementing change. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Positive Steps and Managing Director of Taylor-Jones Event Management Services. Throughout the years, Ms. Taylor has devoted her time and talent to empowering and motivating women of color, convening influencers, and serving as a community liaison.

Ms. Taylor is a well-respected leader, motivational speaker and a voice to help break barriers by promoting diversity, equity and inclusion training across organizational leaders, reminding them that “Everyone has a role.”