Daniel Elliott, left, state treasurer of Indiana, hands Whiteland resident Ian Slatter the Sentinel of the Vault award during a ceremony at Slatter’s home on April 21. Slatter, who is battling terminal brain cancer, was given the honor due to his extraordinary commitment to investing in Hoosiers’ lives and serve as trusted stewards in their respective fields.
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Here was an opportunity to change lives.
When Ian Slatter decided to leave a career in government service to enter education, he wanted to focus on helping some of the most vulnerable and challenging students. The Whiteland resident chose special education, using his skills to reach young people in need.
“He wanted to connect with them and be a positive male role model for those who may not have one,” said Alison Slatter, Ian’s wife. “He really enjoyed connecting with those students.”
As Slatter nears the end of his life, beset by cancer that has overrun his brain and body, those close to him took the opportunity to share the impact he’s had.
Surrounded by friends and family, Slatter was awarded the Sentinel of the Vault Award from the office of the Indiana State Treasurer on April 21. Treasurer Daniel Elliott came to the Slatter home to meet with them and present the award, which is given those who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to investing in Hoosiers’ lives and serve as trusted stewards in their respective fields.
Slatter more than met those qualifications, Elliott said.
“Throughout his career, both in government service and in education, Ian Slatter has always gone above and beyond for those he has been called to serve,” he said in a statement. “As an employee of the treasurer’s office, he was instrumental in helping make college affordable for countless Hoosier families. And as a special education teacher, he has changed the lives of more children than can be counted. I am proud to call him my friend.”
The Sentinel of the Vault Award was created in 2018 during the tenure of State Treasurer Kelly Mitchell. Slatter is just the seventh person to receive the award.
Past recipients include former Treasurer Marjorie O’Loughlin, Indiana Fever President Allison Barber and Karen E. Bravo, dean of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Slatter has spent a long career in public service, starting in the office of then U.S. Representative Mike Pence. He spent nearly a decade working for the Home School Legal Defense Association before returning to Indiana where he joined the Indiana Treasurer’s office in 2011 as communications director. A large focus was to expand awareness of Indiana’s College Choice 529 program.
He also served in the Office of Community and Rural Affairs before focusing on education. A teacher for about a decade, he started at Center Grove this year.
During his time at Center Grove, Slatter was diagnosed with sarcoma — a rare type of cancer that forms in connective tissue such as nerves, muscles, joints, bone, fat and blood vessels.
Previously, doctors had found a large mass in his shoulder about six years ago. Slatter went through radiation treatment and surgery to remove it.
“He was getting regular checks until COVID, when obviously that shut everything down,” Alison Slatter said.
But Ian Slatter did not display any indication that the cancer had spread until the beginning of this school year. He contracted COVID-19 and struggled to shake the virus, as it seemed his breathing became more and more labored.
On a trip to his doctor, they discovered the cause of his struggling ability to breathe.
“The cancer had metastasized from his shoulder and spread to his lungs,” Alison Slatter said. “That was the first thing we found.”
A brain scan found three large tumors in Ian Slatter’s brain, with another 11 to 13 smaller ones. Radiation treatment didn’t work; there was nothing else his doctors could do. On Dec. 22, the family learned they were out of options, and he went into hospice care.
His condition has deteriorated since.
“It’s been six months of just trying to fight,” Alison Slatter said.
Ian Slatter has been receiving hospice care at his home, with his wife serving as his primary caregiver. She and their three children have tried to make his final days as comfortable as they can.
That made the announcement from Elliott about the Sentinel of the Vault award so meaningful. The family has known Elliott for many years, through Ian Slatter’s work in government as well as all of their time volunteering for political campaigns.
“It’s really very humbling. We’re not the type of people who try to parade what we do or who we know or what we’ve done. We’re not those type of people,” Alison Slatter said. “It’s humbling that our efforts are recognized at all. We just want to make the world a better place.”
