Clayton Spencer is the 8^th president of Bates College. She previously served for seven years as Vice President for Policy at Harvard University where she was also a lecturer in the Graduate School of Education, teaching courses on federal higher education policy. Spencer was previously the Chief Education Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, working with Senator Edward M. Kennedy from 1993 to 1997 to direct education legislation and policy. Since coming to Bates, she has completed countless projects serving to enhance the higher education of students on campus. Her accomplishments include the Purposeful Work program launched in 2014, an initiative that encourages students to pursue meaningful work with a liberal arts degree. (Written by David Sparks ‘20)