Dr Jacqueline DuPont Carlson earned her undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego with a B.S. in Behavior Sciences and a minor in Religious Studies. She did her graduate work at USC in Gerontology (M.S.G.) She also has an additional Master’s in Public Administration. Her doctorates are from USC in Education and Leadership and University of Ashbourne in Psychology of Aging. In 1996, she founded  Irvine Cottages, a residential memory care facility chain, with over 13 locations in Irvine, Mission Viejo and Newport Beach all of which she donated to Alzheimer’s Orange county in 2020. Jacqueline also owned and operated Vista Gardens Memory Care in Vista, California. It is one of largest memory care facilities in the country. 

Jacqueline is serving on the following boards: Alzheimer’s Orange county Executive board member, Notre Dame University Provost board member,  Wells of Life, UCI MIND, St. Anne School board, and is the current Illumination Foundation (serving our most vulnerable) board Chairmen. Jacqueline is also a current Board member on the Friendly Hills Bank Board of Directors. Her past service on boards include: Jserra Catholic High School and the Orange Catholic board. Her honors include: St. Anne Mother of the year – 2005, Alzheimer’s Association Visionary Woman Honoree 2007, UCI Philanthropy award, Mcgraw Philanthropy award, The Bishop Todd Brown Exemplary Business Integrity and Ethics Award 2011, Agewell leadership award, and SeniorServ Humanitarian award 2017. 

Throughout her career she fought to protect older adults through the use of camera monitoring in memory care, to hopefully prevent abuse and increase dignity of care. She was featured on CNN, FOX, CBS, Dateline, OC Register, Wallstreet journal and many other publications. 

In June 2014, she was honored to be the Commencement Speaker for the 2014 U.C. Irvine Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences at Bren Center. The video of her inspiring speech to the 6,500 graduates, their families, friends and faculty can be viewed below.