Manny Guendulay joined CADRE in December of 2022, with a 12-year background as a classroom teacher and youth services librarian. With a master's in language and communication and the drive to be a lifetime learner, Manny continues to build a unique skillset that makes him a better communicator, educator, writer, and Technical Project assistant. Manny provides rich insights to CADRE through his varied lived experiences, in addition to offering support, coordination, and assistance to the team. Manny’s eclectic cultural background has afforded him a perspective allowing him to meaningfully serve marginalized groups, always keeping equity and access in mind.
Manny’s passion for assisting students and families with disabilities began as his first day's teaching coincided with Louisiana’s introduction to inclusion-based instruction and the social effects and physical disruptions of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, Manny worked to rebuild the staff and the youth services program for a small Oregon Library after COVID-19 shutdown. There his team worked to design programs to bring children back into the library and help with the systemic reading gap left in the pandemic’s wake.
As a parent of an adult child with disabilities, Manny has a strong passion and desire to foster environments where others can find their own personal success. Manny is a champion of information literacy and strives to help others master learning to discern good information and better understand free speech. In his spare time, he explores creative design in both analog and digital forms, dance, and event planning. He lives alongside his two best friends and their dog in a home in Eugene.