[1] Growing up, Spencer used to "sneak across campus to watch commencements as a kid" and spent her dinners "[discussing] the issues facing the college".

[1] Spencer served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston from 1989 to 1993 until becoming chief education counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources from 1993 to 1997 under U.S.

She became the executive dean of the newly founded institute and frequently lectured at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.

[13] Her inauguration speech, "Questions worth asking" drew 2,500 students, faculty, alumni, and members of the American collegiate educational system to Merrill Gymnasium.

[14] In her address, Spencer said, "At Bates, we claim this union of excellence and opportunity as a core element of our identity, and we need to continue to build on this deep aspect of who we are.

[4] Spencer assumed an endowment that was heavily impacted by the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis and market volatility, thus reporting negative returns in the first two years.

[16] At the conclusion of the second semester of the 2012/13 academic year, the Bates College Board of Trustees announced a totaled pool donation of $11.5 million to start the Catalyst Fund.

[19] In May 2015, Spencer's fundraising prompted Moody's Investors Service to upgrade the college's $24 million revenue bonds to an A1 rating.

[21] With the start of the 2016 academic year, she appointed committees to expand the college's curriculum, after a donation of $19 million was given to fund new areas of study and support incoming professors in the computer sciences.

[24] At the 2014 White House Summit on College Opportunity, Spencer joined other U.S. higher education executives to meet with President Obama.

[28] In June 2016, Spencer was interviewed on New England Cable News' CEO Corner, where she outlined the college's history and the importance of a liberal arts education in a knowledge-based economy.

[30] The statement was prompted after President Donald Trump asserted that his administration would terminate the program‍—‌Spencer noted the DACA as "both a moral imperative and a national necessity.

"[31] In December 2017, she criticized the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 for "constrict[ing] access to education", and undermining "the engine of innovation that has driven the national economy since the end of World War II.

[37][38] Spencer went on to announce that more funding was to be allocated for late-night programming stating, "part of the job is figuring out what the alternatives are.

[43] Under 2016-17 Maine State law, this was not required, which lead Spencer to label the situation as "a deliberate attempt at voter suppression".

[46] In April 2015, Spencer was appointed to the American Council on Education, "the nation's largest and most influential advocacy organization representing colleges and universities.