People Type: Our Team

Robbie is Manomet’s Development Operations Manager, where he keeps the day-to-day operations of the fundraising team moving. He’s the person behind the scenes making sure donor information stays organized, gifts get where they need to go, and the team has what it needs to support Manomet’s work. Before joining Manomet, Robbie spent more than a decade in nonprofit development operations, most recently at Boston MedFlight, where he supported fundraising efforts for critical care air ambulance services.

Originally from Virginia, Robbie grew up exploring Chesapeake Bay and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, experiences that shaped his appreciation for the outdoors. He now lives in Hudson, Massachusetts, with his wife and their dog, Lacie.

In the summer, Robbie spends much of his time at a small lakeside cabin in rural Connecticut, where he and his wife are slowly turning a renovation project into a place to kayak, unwind, and enjoy a Finnish wood-fired sauna.

Michelle Stantial is a quantitative ecologist whose work lies at the intersection of quantitative ecology and decision science, helping managers navigate complex conservation challenges involving deep uncertainty and competing objectives. Her expertise includes developing spatial capture-recapture models, hierarchical models of animal abundance and occurrence, and applying structured decision-making and decision analysis to conservation challenges. She has partnered with state and federal agencies, NGOs, and Tribal partners to translate science into practical management decisions.

Michelle earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Wildlife Biology and Management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) and her B.S. in Biology from Marietta College. Outside of work, Michelle is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys mountain biking, ski mountaineering, and spending as much time outdoors as possible with her dog, Tallulah.

Manuel recently joined Manomet’s Flyways Team as a Youth Engagement Specialist. In this role, he supports the continued growth of Experiencia Ambientalia at Laguna Mar Chiquita and helps expand the program to other saline lakes and WHSRN sites across the Americas. His work focuses on coordinating activities and volunteers, developing educational materials, supporting impact tracking and reporting, and building meaningful connections between communities that share important habitats for migratory shorebirds.

Manuel is a senior Systems Engineering student at the National Technological University in Tucumán, Argentina. He has more than five years of experience coordinating environmental and technology-focused education programs with Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza. He has helped design and implement youth programs, support participants throughout their learning experiences, and strengthen international partnerships. He also has experience in data analysis, using data to organize, track, and communicate information that supports decision-making.

He is excited to join Manomet because of its commitment to connecting science, communities, and conservation action across the hemisphere. Manuel is especially inspired by the opportunity to help young people understand the value and become active leaders in protecting the places they live in.

Outside of work, Manuel enjoys watching and playing sports, especially soccer. He also enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and birding.

Duncan has extensive field experience in avian research, including conducting waterbird and point count surveys, evaluating wetland conditions, and supporting bird monitoring projects. He has also taken on leadership roles in the field and brings strong skills in bird identification, vegetation surveys, data management, and coordinating fieldwork. Duncan earned his B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology along with a minor in Plant Biology at North Carolina State University in 2021. He completed his M.S. at Mississippi State University, where he studied shorebird and other waterbird wetland use in the Mississippi LMAV, in 2025. Duncan is also an incredible naturalist and photographer.

Duncan has conducted hundreds of waterbird surveys in the LMAV and brings valuable regional expertise, along with a deep passion for birds and strong skills in both independent and team-based fieldwork. His background in both ornithology and plant identification further strengthens his ability to contribute to shorebird surveying/conservation in the LMAV.

In his role, Duncan will support wetland habitat conservation for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds by working with private landowners to implement and manage conservation programs. He will coordinate with agricultural producers, conduct waterbird surveys, manage conservation contracts, collect and enter field data, and share results through outreach and workshops with landowners and conservation partners across the region.

Dan is a Senior Shorebird Scientist based in Anchorage, Alaska. He worked for federal agencies in Alaska for 30 years, and transitioned to Manomet in 2026. His work focuses primarily on shorebirds, but Dan also has extensive experience studying Arctic-breeding landbirds and waterfowl. Given the globe-spanning migrations of Arctic-breeding shorebirds, he works with researchers and communities from around the world to understand factors that limit shorebird populations. Along with his colleagues, Dan has conducted numerous studies of the migration ecologies of Alaska-breeding curlews and godwits, documenting the movements of Hudsonian Whimbrels, Bristle-thighed Curlews, and Bar-tailed and Marbled Godwits. He has also conducted numerous studies to document the distribution and population status of landbirds in Alaska.

Dan received a Ph.D. in Animal Ecology from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in 2014 for research on the winter ecology of Rock Sandpipers in Cook Inlet, Alaska. For his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, he studied the breeding ecology of Western Sandpipers on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. As an undergraduate, Dan attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology. When he’s not chasing shorebirds, Dan enjoys cycling, Nordic skiing, and swimming. He also loves puttering in the garden with his family and relaxing with their cat, Hank, and dog, Miguel.