Board of Directors

Helen-Ann Comstock, Chair and Founder, Philadelphia, PA, lost her husband to Pick’s disease. She was the first Executive Director of what is now the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and organized the landmark 1999 Conference on Pick’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia and the follow-up Consensus Criteria meeting in 2000. Her advocacy was instrumental to the founding of Pennsylvania’s Family Caregiver Support Program. Ms. Comstock serves on the Pennsylvania Council on Aging and on the board of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.

Beth Walter, Vice Chair, Sacramento, CA, partner in a real estate development company and civic leader, lost her husband and four of his family members to FTD/ALS. Ms. Walter has established the Walter Charitable Fund to raise resources to further FTD research and share knowledge about the diseases.

Darlene Ryan, Treasurer, Fort Worth, TX, is a nonprofit executive currently facing the challenges of FTD with her husband, who received his diagnosis in 2003. They have a teenage son.

Susan Eissler, MBA, Secretary,  Georgetown, TX, is a pension actuary with audit experience. It took 10 years to get a diagnosis for her husband, who died of FTD/corticobasal degeneration at the age of 60. Three of his siblings, his mother, a cousin, two uncles and a grandfather also developed the disease. In her husband’s spirit of turning problems into opportunities, Ms. Eissler focuses on educating healthcare professionals for better diagnosis and care. She chairs AFTD’s Caregiver Respite committee.

Bill Brown, Flower Mound, TX, cares for his wife (diagnosed with FTD in 2006) and their three school-age children. This dynamic advertising professional, known for successful branding campaigns, now devotes his talents to advocating for other young families facing the nightmare of FTD. Mr. Brown is co-chair of AFTD’s Advocacy Committee.

Francine Laden, Ph.D., is assistant Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr.Laden, who resides in Massachusetts, lost her father to FTD in January 2009, and her family has donated generously to AFTD to fund research and a fellowship. Dr. Laden joins the Board with a goal of furthering the research and education portions of AFTD’s mission.

Philip H. Lovett, MBA, New York, NY, is a Founding Partner of Millennium Partners, a national development company. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Mr. Lovett has a family member with Semantic Dementia. He serves as Research Liaison for the AFTD Board.

Sylvia Mackey, founder of the nonprofit Mackey Fund, is a nationally known speaker on behalf of the dementia community. Ms. Mackey lives in Baltimore with her husband, former National Football League player and Hall of Fame member John Mackey, who has FTD. Sylvia joins the Board as a recognized advocacy leader, having been particularly effective in advocating with the NFL for the “88 Plan,” which provides coverage for the care needs of former players with dementia.

 Zbyslaw J. Petryka, Ph.D., is a retired chemist who graduated from the University of London with a doctorate in organic chemistry. Dr. Petryka dedicated his career to medical and biochemical research. His wife was diagnosed with FTD in 2006. Dr. Petryka, who resides in California, joins the Board with a particular interest in the areas of advocacy and research.

Colleen Quinn, MPT, Washington, DC, is a physical therapist, treating adults and children in hospitals and in outpatient settings. Ms. Quinn’s father passed away from Pick’s; she chairs AFTD’s Development Committee.

Lisa Radin, Blackwood, NJ, former caregiver for her husband, helped organize the landmark 1999 Conference and 2000 Consensus Criteria meeting.  She consults to the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter for events and media relations and, in association with her son, edited and published What If It’s Not Alzheimer’s? — A Caregivers Guide to Dementia.

Bruce L. Richardson, Boulder, CO, was a caregiver for his wife, who died of FTD in 2006. After launching his career with Coopers & Lybrand, Mr. Richardson spent about 30 years in land development and homebuilding. Also a woodworker specializing in furniture, Mr. Richardson remains active in the Denver/Boulder area.

Joanne Sackheim, MSW, LCSW, Los Angeles, CA, lost her Emmy-winning husband to Pick’s disease in 2004. Ms. Sackheim converts her clinical and supervisory expertise in social work practice into counseling families coping with FTD and Alzheimer’s-related diseases.

Joyce Shenian, Newtown Square, PA, honored her husband’s struggle with FTD by serving on the original committee for the Chocolate Symphony benefit for the local Alzheimer’s Association and on the committee for the 1999 Pick’s Conference. A real estate broker, Ms. Shenian was a founding member of the AFTD Board.