Rev. Dr. Shannon Spencer
(she/her)
North Carolina-native and former Executive Director of Asheville Poverty Initiative. Rev. Dr. Shannon Spencer is the Chaplain and Spiritual Life Director at Warren Wilson College.
Before her time at Warren Wilson, she played and coached Division I basketball. She was named NC State Player of the year her Jr and Sr. years of high school and inducted into Catawba County's Hall of Fame in 2008. Shannon was the Founder and Executive Director of Asheville Poverty Initiative and the 12 Baskets Cafe. She has a TedTalk and a documentary.
Additionally, she serves as a chaplain at the Western Correctional Center for Women and pastored churches in Illinois, California, and North Carolina. Shannon holds a BS in Special Education from Appalachian State University, an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and a D. Min. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.
Reflecting on her time in ministry, she writes: “I have had many teachers along the way – some living in gated communities while others behind the gates of prisons and jails. It’s been a beautifully broken journey framed by abundant grace and radical love.” Shannon is most proud, however, to be mom to two amazing and creative girls.