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 Transition Updates

Karega Rausch, NACSA’s President & CEO, has accepted an exciting new role as the Executive Director of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC). We are grateful for Karega’s contributions and strong leadership. We are also...

NACSACon 2026: Learning in Community

Good authorizing doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built through shared knowledge and, honest conversations. It’s buoyed by a professional field that holds itself to high standards. NACSACon brings that community...

Beyond the Mold: Equipping Authorizers to Evaluate Innovative Schools

By David Greenberg and Jason Zwara Raising the Bar on Accountability Last year, we made several important updates to our state policy recommendations. These changes were critical to accountability in...