Spencer is a husband, father of two daughters enrolled in college, an experienced educator and he is running for the Iowa House right here in District 21. He has been married to his wife Sinikka for 26 years. She runs a small business based in Indianola that is in its 17th year of operation. Spencer moved to Iowa from the Black Hills in 1994 to attend Central College, and made Iowa his forever home. They have long been active in the faith community in Indianola, and they serve on the leadership team for the Lutheran Church of Hope Local site in Indianola.​

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​He began teaching high school in Indianola in 1998, was recognized as Indianola’s 2008 Educator of the Year. As the Debate Coach, he led the IHS students to back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010 with a peak enrollment of 75 students on the high school debate team. He attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to earn his MA.  

Spencer began helping to build Simpson’s Debate Team with four students in 2011 while also teaching at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines. He served as the Director of Speech, Debate & Mock Trial starting in 2013 at Simpson as a full-time faculty member. Under Spencer’s leadership, the Simpson College Debate Team grew to 70+ members and claimed National Championships in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023.  

Returning to his commitment to education, Spencer now works with students at Simpson College serving as Associate Dean, and he supervises high school student teachers during their final semester before entering the classroom as educators.

     

When Spencer is not at work, you may find him driving his ’66 Mustang, or asking his friends to help work on it, and spending time with his family. He looks forward to listening to your needs and concerns so that he can best represent your voice in the Iowa House.