John Taylor

President and Principal, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs

For more than 30 years, John Taylor has made significant contributions to the public health, serving in senior leadership positions within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, and consulting services. John joined Greenleaf following a distinguished career of more than 20 years at the FDA. During John’s time at the Agency, he led several of its priority initiatives. At Greenleaf, John continues his commitment to health care innovation as the firm’s President and Principal of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, providing strategic consultation to FDA-regulated clients on enforcement and compliance matters.

From 2009 to 2014, John held three high-profile positions at the FDA: Counselor to the Commissioner, Acting Principal Deputy Commissioner, and Acting Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy.

As Counselor to the Commissioner, John served as the principal advisor to Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on issues that affected the agency’s programs, policymaking, management, budget, and administration. In his role as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, John provided leadership and direction to more than 4,000 employees in the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) and Office of International Programs.

John began his career at the FDA in 1991 as an attorney within the Office of the Chief Counsel, responsible for all phases of criminal and civil litigation related to violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other federal laws. In 1997, John was promoted to Senior Advisor for Regulatory Operations and Policy within the FDA’s Office of the Commissioner. He was later named Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Office of Compliance. In 2000, John accepted the position of Director of ORA’s Office of Enforcement. Two years later, John was promoted to Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs.

In 2005, John left the FDA to spend four years working in industry, first as Divisional Vice President for Federal Government Affairs at Abbott, then, in 2007, as Executive Vice President for Health at the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

John has worked closely with many professional associations, serving on the boards of the Food and Drug Alumni Association and the Food and Drug Law Institute. He currently serves on the United States Pharmacopeia Board of Trustees.

John received his J.D. from the College of William and Mary and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in History.