Sandra Ryack-Bell
As a Senior Executive Fellow at the Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences, Sandi plays a key role in supporting a smooth transition for both staff and programs. After serving as Executive Director of the Wade Institute for 18 years, she helped lead the organization through its merger with Manomet before stepping into her current role.
With over 40 years of experience in science education, Sandi has dedicated her career to creating engaging, hands-on, minds-on learning experiences for K–12 students and providing professional development for their teachers. Her passion lies in opening up the world of science to educators and helping them spark curiosity in their students through inquiry-based learning.
During her time as Executive Director, she built strong partnerships between schools and science institutions to bring inquiry-driven programs to classrooms across the region and the country. Her career also includes leadership roles such as developing and serving as Director of the SeaScope Marine Studies Center, a field based program for K-12 school groups for Rhode Island Sea Grant, developed and implemented a marine science program on the water for Save the Bay in Providence, RI, and Education Director at the Lloyd Center for the Environment, where she created K–12 curriculum using real research data.
Sandi has been honored with induction into the Massachusetts Science Educators Hall of Fame. She holds a B.S. in Marine Ecology and an M.Ed. from the University of Rhode Island.