Abstract Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) We propose to establish the Center for Health Equity in Cognitive Aging – Joining Population Science and Health Promotion (CHECA) at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) that will provide infrastructure to develop and implement programs to enhance health equity in a diverse community of adults with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) and their care partners. The Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) will be central to the successful operations of the CHECA center. The LAC will work towards developing and maintaining a strategic vision for the CHECA related to its three central themes to ensure diversity in the work force for AD/ADRD related behavioral and social sciences research and to develop research and mentoring infrastructure to promote uncompromised excellence in research to facilitate significant scientific advances in priority areas identified by the center (Aim 1). LAC will also manage a distinguished Executive Committee that will oversee the functioning of the Center and assist the co-PI’s in making scientific and administrative decisions relating to the Center (Aim 2). The LAC will be responsible to assemble an External Advisory Committee to advise the Center on its REC (Aim 3) and implement a systematic method, using the Executive and External Advisory Committee members and appointed review panel, to develop, identify, review, and monitor pilot projects (Aim 4). LAC will also monitor all pilot projects, their findings and impact in annual Center progress reports that will be submitted to NIA (Aim 5). Lastly, LAC will facilitate the development of networks among researchers, commercial interests, community interests and other entities to support translation activities (Aim 6) and work to increase the outreach of the Center’s activities with private sector/commercial interests, non-profit organizations, research institutions, and government agencies, as appropriate (Aim 7). The LAC will be co- led by Naoko Muramatsu, PhD a population science researcher and Tanvi Bhatt PhD, has expertise with health promotion and translation and their leadership experience and expertise are complementary, yet scientifically unique and highly suited for conducting activities of the LAC. The LAC will establish the Executive Committee, which will be comprised of LAC co-leads, Senior Collaborators (Dr. Susan Hughes, Dr. Benjamin Shaw, Dr. Andrew Boyd), and leads of the REC (Dr. Ulf Bronas, Dr. Olu Ajilore), AnC (Dr. Michael Berbaum) and CLRC (Dr. David Marquez and Dr. Uchechi Mitchell). LAC will enroll key leaders/directors of the policy, academic, and practice communities within the Chicagoland to the External Advisory Committee. .