Marty Acevedo has been living well with Parkinson’s for greater than 20 years. Initially diagnosed with essential tremor, she was later also diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s. After diagnosis, her 35 year career as a registered dietitian continued; her focus was provision of nutrition care and support from critically ill patients along with leadership and direction for six departments, 200+ employees and oversight of a $9m budget. She joined the board of directors for PASD in 2014 and quickly became a member of the board’s executive committee, serving as secretary and as president. After retirement in 2015, Marty turned her passion and purpose toward raising awareness, increasing knowledge and providing support for people impacted by Parkinson’s. Along with her role as president of the PASD board of directors, she serves as an Ambassador for the Davis Phinney Foundation, as a policy advocate with the Michael J Fox Foundation, as a member of the Community Advisory Panel for the Michael J Fox Foundation PPMI study, as a consumer reviewer for the CDMRP (Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program) Parkinson’s Research Program and as member of the PARKIN PD Advocacy Group. When she is not involved with volunteer work, Marty enjoys traveling with her husband, watching and cheering on her favorite college teams, yoga, exercise, craft work, cooking and spending time with family and friends. She truly embodies the phrase that she coined, “Live your BEST life!”