Susan Dickinson, MS, CGC, AFTD Chief Executive Officer (CEO), joined AFTD in February 2008. A genetic counselor, she brings more than three decades of experience facilitating communications among lay, scientific and medical communities. Under her leadership, AFTD has expanded dramatically in scale and impact, from a $400,000 organization with a part-time staff of three to a $9 million organization with 30 full-time staff. During her tenure, AFTD has expanded programs to meet and advocate for the needs of FTD families, and invested in specific strategies to advance FTD research and drug development, including two multi-year, multi-million dollar research initiatives targeting FTD diagnosis and treatment. Ms. Dickinson also serves on the Advisory Council for the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.  She holds an MS in genetic counseling from Arcadia University and BA in biology and psychology from Swarthmore College.