People Type: Staff

Cynthia (Cindy) Slattery joined Manomet in 2025 as the Vice President of Finance. She earned her B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. With a strong background in nonprofit leadership—including recent roles as CFO and Director of Human Resources—Cindy brings a wealth of experience to the team.

At Manomet, Cindy is passionate about using her financial expertise to support and sustain the organization’s vital conservation work. She’s particularly energized by the opportunity to build systems that promote long-term resilience, ensuring that Manomet can continue making a meaningful impact for years to come. With deep expertise in endowments, financial planning, and strategic management, Cindy is an invaluable addition to Manomet.

When she’s not immersed in numbers, Cindy enjoys spending quality time with her husband—an avid birdwatcher—and their three grown children. A favorite family escape is the Cape Cod shoreline, where they love walking the beaches, spotting wildlife, and recharging by the ocean.

As an Education Specialist at the Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences, Diana focuses on STEM curriculum with an emphasis on problem-based learning. She holds an Ed.S. from UMass Lowell, an MSEd from Lesley University, and an MAT in Biology from UMass Dartmouth.

With more than 20 years of experience as both a classroom science teacher and education researcher—and another two decades in lab science—Diana brings a unique depth of knowledge to her role. She’s a skilled facilitator of professional development and well versed in the OpenSciEd curriculum, helping educators bring hands-on, inquiry-driven learning to life.

For Diana, working at Manomet is a dream come true. It allows her to connect with fellow educators and scientists and to support teachers in bringing science and nature into their classrooms. At home, she’s often observing the wildlife that shares her yard—from owls and hawks to foxes, salamanders, and tree frogs.

As a Senior Education 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.

As the Education Manager for Professional Learning Programs at the Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences, Kara is passionate about supporting educators with professional development that’s both content-rich and practical. She holds a M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in English as a Second Language, and brings valuable insight from her years as an elementary school teacher.

Kara understands the joys and challenges of the classroom firsthand, and she’s committed to creating engaging, high-quality learning experiences for teachers that balance strong science content with effective pedagogy. At Manomet, she’s excited to help expand the Wade Institute’s reach by building new partnerships and bringing programs to more communities.

Outside of work, Kara enjoys reading, dancing, listening to podcasts, and getting creative with crafts.

As the Director at the Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences, Kathryn brings over 20 years of experience in conservation and science education—both in the classroom and in informal settings—into everything she does. Her passion shows through in the way she designs and delivers science programs that support teachers, schools, and entire districts.

Kathryn holds a MSEd in Secondary Science from Lehman College, as well as a M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Kathryn began her career in science through informal education and the zoo community. She then moved into the classroom, teaching middle school science in New York City public schools. There, she focused on problem-based learning to spark curiosity and foster engagement in her students.

Her background also includes field research in Costa Rica and Uganda, where she studied primates as part of her graduate work. Before joining the Wade Institute, Kathryn spent several years working in the zoo community, most recently at the Bronx Zoo with the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Now at Manomet, she’s excited to return to her conservation roots and help grow the organization’s education work—especially by expanding its focus to include not just students, but teachers and adult learners, too. Outside of work, Kathryn loves exploring the outdoors and diving into creative projects. For her, science is as much about creativity as it is about discovery.