Whitney Spalding Spencer

Director of Authorizer Development

Whitney Spalding Spencer is Director of Authorizer Development at NACSA. She is responsible for managing NACSA’s federal Charter Schools Program National Activities Grant work focused on identifying and disseminating authorizer best practices in charter school performance management, replication, and closure. Whitney previously served as the Director of Recruitment and Selection at the Chicago Public Schools Office of New Schools where she oversaw the recruitment and authorization of new charter and contract schools for the nation’s third largest school district. Whitney earned her A.B. in English from Princeton University.

Most Recent Posts

NACSA Statement on Supreme Court Decision on Charter Schools

Statement from NACSA President & CEO, M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D., on the Supreme Court of the United States decision in the case of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School...

After a Quarter Century: Time to Reboot the New Charter School Application Process

The public charter school sector was designed to be responsive and innovative, operating in a space freed from the bogged-down bureaucracy that so often hampers other public schools. Each new...

Why NACSACon 2025 is THE Conference for Charter School Authorizers and Public Education Leaders

NACSACon isn’t just for authorizers—it’s for public education leaders who are passionate about improving outcomes for students. Whether you’re new to authorizing, a veteran authorizer, or an education leader in...