The Commonwealth Fund’s staff and board of directors mourn the passing of James R. Tallon, a longtime board member and chair and a passionate health care leader in New York and across the country for more than five decades.
Jim joined the Fund’s board in 1996 and served as chair from 2007 to 2014. He led the organization through several significant transitions, including the arrival of a new Fund president and the passage of the Affordable Care Act. During 19 years of service in the New York State Assembly — six as majority leader — and more than two decades as president of the United Hospital Fund, Jim was an important voice for health care access, equity, and quality. He was also a valued colleague, counselor, and friend.
Jim was a strategic leader who shared his knowledge and skill at consensus-building generously with many organizations and agencies. He was the longtime chair of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and served on the boards of the Alliance for Health Reform, the Institute on Medicine as a Profession, the New York eHealth Collaborative, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. His contributions extended to public education as well: Jim was a longtime member of the New York State Board of Regents, the supervisory body for all education and education-related activities in New York.
We will miss Jim’s wisdom and compassion, and we offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Norma and sons Ed, James, and Michael.
