Amy Slentz

Amy Slentz joined FLI in January 2023 as the new FL PRISM Aquatic Invasive Species Program Manager. In this position she will be responsible for managing the FL PRISM’s aquatic invasive species programming; including early detection, rapid response, treatment, volunteer programming, education, and outreach to the 17 county PRISM region. She will serve as a regional authority on aquatic invasive species, assisting partner organizations with management decisions and training as well. She brings a diverse set of professional experiences to the organization—a synergy between critical thinking and creativity, biological knowledge and artistry, and experience with conservation fieldwork as well as communication, management, and outreach initiatives. Slentz earned a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2013, and her career began as a graphic designer and marketing manager for several regional organizations. Eventually shifting her professional trajectory to align with her passion for the natural world, she attended Finger Lakes Community College and earned an AS Environmental Science degree in 2022. Slentz worked several internships with FLCC’s Muller Field Station (including the Macrophyte Survey led by FL PRISM!), creating a portfolio of notable biological work, which led to her position as the Field Studies Assistant with the FLCC Conservation Department. In this role she helped to establish and brand the Science With A Mindful Purpose (SWAMP) internship program at FLCC. Prior to joining FLI, Slentz spent her summer studying the ecological communities of Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park and later working as a seasonal biotech at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. More broadly, Slentz’s interests include wetland ecology as well as ornithology and herpetology. She is from the Finger Lakes and thus aspires to reinvest in this exceptional and remarkable region for the foreseeable future.