Shante Spivey

I got into education because my mother had adopted a girl who had speech issues and couldn't really speak. When we put her in school, there was concern about what if something happens to her and we don't know because she doesn't talk. So I took a job at the school so I could be there to support and monitor her. From there, I went back to school for education and psychology and spent almost all of my 25 original years in special education. I ultimately became a counselor and then a principal of a special education school. As a principal, I really pushed my staff to go back to school, to get degrees and certifications, to give themselves options so they didn't feel trapped. I made sure I checked their transcripts, set up study sessions for them, and always checked in to make sure they were registered. A lot of my teachers became certified as administrators, and one specifically told me that if she'd had a supervisor like me when she first started teaching, she'd have been so much further along in her career. They said I probably should have been a college advisor because no one did these things for them while they were in school. When COVID hit, my other half wanted to retire, and we talked about moving south. Even though I was 48, I decided to go down there and start a whole new career. I took a job at a community college as an advisor, and 6 days later they promoted me to supervisor of the advising and financial aid team. My thing is, people are who they are, regardless of title, and I've always been who I am. Last year, they asked me to be dean over a campus that was going through a lot of turnover. I absolutely loved it and created a lot of opportunities for students. Unfortunately, the school district which held the lease had already decided to terminate it before I got there. When the institution had a very sudden leadership change, they asked me to step in as interim vice president for a couple of months while they completed their restructure, which I did. After we completed the restructure, they asked me to stay on and created a role for me that just started in March as high school partnership and enrollment coordinator. Basically, I'm creating strategic partnerships for the institution and developing the engagement plan of how we go out and make sure that people know who we are, especially high school principals and district leaders, so we can continue to do what we do.