Sam Dickinson
ANN ARBOR / DETROIT / TOLEDO CORRIDOR  ·  AVAILABLE NOW
Chief of Staff-trackStrategic OperationsCommercial Strategy

I help leadership make better decisions.
Turning ambiguity into clear direction
through strategy, systems, and execution.

I turn messy data, disconnected systems, and ambiguous business signals into direction leadership can act on.

At Akadeum Life Sciences, that meant building the commercial operating system behind forecasting, pipeline management, executive reporting, and GTM execution.

↓ ResumeLinkedIn ↗
HOW I OPERATE

When leadership needs a dashboard, that's easy. When leadership needs clarity, that's different. I've done my best work in the messy middle between leadership, data, and execution.

The technology changes. The responsibility doesn't. I learn the tools the problem requires.

I've spent the last several years doing strategic operating work from inside the business. I'm looking for a role where that is the core mandate, not the work around the edges.

Start with the decision
If no decision changes, the report probably does not matter.
Make the business visible
Find broken handoffs, untrusted metrics, slow follow-up. Then build visibility around it.
Build practical systems
Not theoretical systems. Systems people actually use.
Translate across functions
Connect leadership, finance, sales, marketing, and operators so the work moves.
Use AI as leverage
Valuable when it reduces drag or helps teams act faster. Not when it is theater.
Tell the truth clearly
Make the numbers useful, not flattering.
Turn ambiguity into motion
Start with partial information and build momentum.
20%
MQL-to-SQL conversion, up from 11%
43%
SQL-to-Opportunity conversion, up from 26%
<20h
Avg time-to-first-touch, down from ~48h
10+
Board & investor reporting cycles prepared
DECISION SYSTEMS

Recreated with anonymized data, but they represent the operating logic behind systems I built at Akadeum. Each one supported recurring business decisions, not just reporting.

AI AS OPERATING LEVERAGE

AI is not my identity. It is a lever I use when it reduces manual drag, sharpens prioritization, or helps teams act faster.

At Akadeum, that meant AI-assisted lead routing and sales dossier workflows that cut average speed-to-first-touch from nearly 48 hours to under 20. On this site, it meant building the AI chat below. That is proof of how I think about practical automation.

ASK SAM'S AI

Ask what you'd ask in a first call, a screen, or a reference check.

sam@dickinson ~ ask-sams-ai-chat
LIVE
SD
EXPERIENCE
Commercial Strategy & Operations LeadAkadeum Life Sciences
May 2023 – May 2026

Built and owned the commercial operating system by integrating NetSuite, HubSpot, Power BI, R, and automation workflows into a single source of truth. Partnered with the CEO, COO, CFO, and commercial leadership across roughly ten quarterly board and investor cycles, including during a successful bridge financing effort. Redesigned the company’s ICP around cell therapy and adjacent markets, improving MQL-to-SQL conversion from 11% to 20% and SQL-to-Opportunity conversion from 26% to 43%. Retained and promoted through major organizational change, including after the October 2024 commercial RIF.

Prior roles built the analytical foundation: forecasting, KPI frameworks, and executive dashboards. I later applied that work to full commercial operating systems.

Data Scientist & Analytics LeadMichigan State University
Jan 2022 – May 2023

Embedded analytics partner to institutional leadership. Built the KPI frameworks, dashboards, and data schemas behind capital planning and facility investment decisions.

Data Scientist (Contract)DePuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson)
Aug 2020 – Nov 2021

Built time series forecasting models that reduced backorders by 8%. Led Power BI adoption across multiple business units through training, stakeholder engagement, and practical business applications.

EARLIER ROLES
Data Analyst (Contract) Stryker2020
Data Engineer Spectrum Health2019
Performance Analyst Consumers Energy2018
Technical Writer Gensler2017
Lab Technician Emergent BioSolutions2015 – 2016
EXECUTIVE REFERENCES

The CEO, COO, CFO, and VP of Sales & Marketing from Akadeum have all offered to serve as references for my work.