Spencer advises education leaders on building pathways to economic mobility for all students. He has over 15 years of experience in public education roles, from teacher to state policymaker, and is passionate about improving education systems to help students achieve the American Dream. Spencer is an expert on college and career pathways initiatives, federal and state policy analysis, and leveraging AI and data to better serve students. He specializes in working at the intersection of these three areas: helping state leaders develop policies that set students up to thrive in an AI-impacted future workforce.

Spencer began his career serving low-income students as a teacher and administrator in New Orleans public schools. He then worked as the Chief for Innovation at the Rhode Island Department of Education, where he launched many new statewide projects, including a cross-agency career pathways initiative, a student-centered online enrollment platform, and a post-COVID tutoring program. Spencer then moved to nonprofit and consulting roles, supporting initiatives such as Indiana’s high school redesign effort and California’s $500M college and career pathways legislation.

Spencer earned a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Yale University. He lives with his wife in Minnesota, where he enjoys outdoor adventures and playing his guitar.