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CIP National Staff Profiles
Michael McManmon, Ed.D
Founder, College Internship Program
Michael McManmon, Ed.D. founded the College Internship Programs in 1984. He received a B.A. in English from Mt. St. Mary’s College in Maryland, a Masters in Counseling from Shippensburg University, a Masters in Human Development from the University of Kansas (through a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health), and a Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Nevada.
He is licensed as a Psychologist by the State of Massachusetts. Prior to Founding CIP, he worked for state, private and non-profit organizations in several states and was certified as a family teacher through the Boys Town Center in Nebraska.
During his 39 years of experience with students with Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome, Dr. McManmon has worked on Curriculum Development, Staff Training, Program Evaluation, and Administering Community Based Programming. He speaks and presents at professional conferences nationally and internationally.
He has a unique perspective as he himself was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and grew up in a large family with several individuals on the spectrum. He has six children and 12 grandchildren, and is an avid artist, swimmer, gardener and traveler.
Dr. McManmon is a blog author for Psychology Today and his book, "Made for Good Purpose" has been published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. He is on the board of ASTEP, US Autism & Asperger's Association, and a member of ASA, AANE, NACAC and LDA.
See Dr. McManmon's upcoming speaking presentations
Heather Greene, M.B.A.
Executive Director
Heather joined the College Internship Program in July 2005. She received her B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, her M.B.A. from Sage Graduate School, and her position is further augmented by supplemental Master's level classes in Special Education. Heather worked for ten years as the Financial Controller for NorthEast Health in Cohoes, N.Y. where she managed the financial affairs of a large health care facility, including two skilled nursing facilities and an Alzheimer's Center. She then joined the expatriate community in England where she amassed five years of international management experience as a financial specialist in the telecommunication and banking industries, including Lombard Bank and British Telecommunications.
Heather currently enjoys life in the Berkshires with her teenage son, Jordan, and is kept very busy attending his sporting events. Heather also enjoys skiing, horseback riding, running, reading, and traveling.
Thomas Metzner, M.Ed.
Assistant Executive Director
Tom joined the College Internship Program in 2011. He received his M.Ed. in Administration and Management from Cambridge College. Prior to joining the College Internship Program, Tom held various academic and residential positions at The Kolburne School, a residential treatment center for adolescents, in New Marlborough, Massachusetts. Before moving to human services, he had a twenty year career in the computer services industry.
Tom has five grown children and lives in Lee with his wife Lanace and golden retriever Cassie. Tom enjoys backpacking, kayaking, camping in Rhode Island and photography.
Suraj Kamath
Director of Finance
Suraj Kamath has lived in MA and VT for the last 15 years. He received his MBA in Finance from Bentley College, MA and is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant from India. He has held the position of Finance Manager at finance companies in MA and VT. His interests include reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Dan McManmon, B.A.
Director of Admissions and Marketing
Dan McManmon grew up in western Massachusetts with four sisters, six foster brothers as a teen, and an adopted brother as well. Dan's father was more recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. The experiences and relationship he had growing up with his father have had a profound affect on his understanding and compassion of ASD and learning differences.
After receiving his bachelors in the MMGD program (Multimedia and Graphic Design) from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, Dan began working as a residential instructor at the CIP Berkshire Center in Lee, Massachusetts. In 2006 he took the position of National Marketing Coordinator for CIP.
A year later, Dan relocated to the Bay area California and spent three years assisting with the opening of the College Internship Program's fourth site, the Berkeley Center. In 2010 Dan and his family relocated back to the Berkshires. Shortly thereafter Dan took an the role of Director of Admissions and Marketing.
Dan's enjoys producing music, photography, hiking and biking in the great outdoors and spending time with his lovely wife Nicole and their son Marlow.
Maggi Sanderson, B.A.
Admissions Coordinator
Maggi Sanderson holds a B.A. in English from Smith College and has been involved with admissions and marketing for special needs/therapeutic programs for nearly 15 years. She assisted Eric M. Plakun, M.D., at the Austen Riggs Center in admissions and in his research and subsequent contributions to the DSM-III in defining diagnostic criteria for narcissistic, borderline, and schizotypal personality disorders, and schizophrenia.
For eight years she served as Director of Admissions at The DeSisto School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where she also supervised family casework, coordinated interdepartmental IEP development and implementation, and pursued funding options for students.
Maggi has traveled extensively as Director of Outreach for The King George School in Sutton, Vermont, and as regional representative for referral development for Brown Schools, Inc. A staunch proponent of the arts and historic preservation, Maggi has also served as dramaturg and assistant to both Managing and Artistic Directors at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and as Director of Marketing and Visitor Services at Hancock Shaker Village.
Her greatest loves are her daughter, Greer, age 24, a freelance writer; her cat; and reading, writing and cooking.
Abby Tierney, B.A.
Teen Summer Program Coordinator
Abby Tierney was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She attended Westfield State College in Westfield, MA where she received her B.A. in Mass Communication. Prior to joining the College Internship Program she was planning autism and Asperger’s disorder conferences with the New England Educational Institute.
Some of her hobbies include reading, photography, and traveling. She also enjoys teaching and coaching swimming.
Margaret Dillon Katz
Transition Counselor & Outreach Coordinator
Margaret Dillon Katz is the Transition & Outreach Coordinator at The College Internship Program. She has been working with students & families for over twenty years as they consider and search for the right educational choice for the student. She works with students and families during the critical transition from high school to college and again from CIP to the next transition towards independence.
She has spoken at 6 National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) Affiliate conferences through out the US, as well as spoken at IECA, Independent Educational Consultant Association and Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) conferences. She enjoys the work of training and informing professionals students and families about support services and strategies that will take each student to the next step toward living a happy and productive life.
Margaret has over 20 years of experience working with high school and college students in college admissions and was the Acting Director of Admissions at Ursinus College, PA, and Director of Admissions at Berkshire Country Day School a Pre-K - 12 school in Lenox. She enjoys living in other cultures and worked in admissions at a Waldorf Rudolf Steiner Pre-K - 12 school in Vancouver, Canada and Wellington, New Zealand.
She and her husband served together in the Peace Corps in the Marshall Islands as teachers. She enjoyed the rich challenges & personal growth which cross cultural experiences offer, such as learning the skills of how to transition, flexibility, adjusting to change and culture shock, thinking outside the box, and meeting and making new friends.....all skills which CIP students work on when transitioning to and from CIP.
Margaret grew up outside New York city on Long Island and spent most of her childhood winter weekends enjoying the magical Berkshire woods & hills while sledding, & downhill or cross country skiing. She chose to live in the Berkshires for its beauty & rich life style advantages after serving in the Peace Corps. Her passion for the outdoors continues as she walks, hikes or skis with her intrepid Alaskan Malamute dog Babu. She lives in Stockbridge, Massachusetts with her husband, Joe, and teenage daughter Rebecca.
Winton Brown
MarkEting AssistANT
Winton was born in Savannah, Georgia. He relocated to Pittsfield, Massachusetts with his parents when he was six years old. In 2009, he received his B.A. in Journalism from Quinnipiac University. In 2010, he received his M.A. in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from Syracuse University.
Prior to joining the College Internship Program, he worked as a Youth Development Counselor at Brookside School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Some of his hobbies include sports, music production, and reading. He also enjoys spending time with friends and family.
Melanie Moran
Quality Control Officer
Melanie Moran joined the College Internship Program in 2009. She has spent her career working in various human resource positions. Her previous position was at the Valleyhead School, a residential facility for adolescents with learning disabilities and mental health issues.
Melanie currently lives in Adams with her husband, Kevin. Her hobbies include reading, snow shoeing and furniture refinishing.
Matthew Kosiorek
Site Development
Matthew is from Huntington, MA, where he currently lives while he excitedly waits the building of his house in Lee, MA this spring. He is happily married to his wife, Nicole, and they enjoyed a beautiful wedding last summer.
He received his Liberal Studies degree from Westfield State College in 2007. After graduating, Matt worked for the Key Program in Greenfield, MA as a residential caseworker. He has worked as an advisor coordinator for the Gear-Up Program.
Matthew enjoys all kinds of sports including everything from soccer and softball to surfing and snowboarding. Also, in his spare time, he enjoys lots of outdoor adventures with Nicole.
Kim Nestler
Director of Human Resources
Kim grew up in the Berkshires and became a resident of Pittsfield, MA in 2005. Kim comes to CIP from the corporate office of KB Toys where she spent over eleven years working in their H/R Dept.
Some of her interests include trips to the ocean, time with friends and family, riding motorcycles and she is a huge animal lover.
