He was Professor and Chairperson of the Brandeis Sociology Department in 1971 when he resigned to found, with Jacqueline Doyle and Morrie Schwartz, Greenhouse, a non-profit growth center, where he led encounter groups and personal growth workshops.
[citation needed] He was a merchant seaman, actor, business consultant, cookie salesman, marriage officiant, and president of a theatre.
He collaborated with filmmaker Gene Searchinger on Paradox on 72nd Street, a one-hour TV documentary aired nationally by PBS,[5] and acted in over 30 plays and films.
Slater taught writing and playwriting at UCSC and in private workshops starting 1989.
[citation needed] Born in 1927 in Riverton, New Jersey, Slater served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II.