Jean Elizabeth Spencer was born on March 28, 1933.
She received a B.S., an M.A. in Political Science in 1961, and a Ph. D. in 1966, all from the University of Maryland. After earning her Ph. D, she became a research associate at the Bureau of Governmental Research in the University's College of Business and Public Administration. In 1966 under Governor Tawes, Spencer became staff director of the Commission for the Modernization of the Maryland Government, headed by John Curlett, and later worked as assistant director of the Governor's Task Force on Modern Management under Governors Agnew and Mandel. She helped create the Executive Reorganization Committee, and was research staff director for the Maryland Constitutional Convention of 1967-1968, which drafted a proposed constitution that was hailed as a model for state government reform. In 1968, she recommended the reactivation of the 1965 Commission on the Status of Women, later renamed the Maryland Commission for Women and established in 1971 under Governor Mandel. When Agnew was elected Vice President under Richard Nixon in 1969, Spencer became Special Assistant to the Vice President for Research. She conducted research in support of the Office of the Vice President, maintained briefing books on domestic and foreign policy concerns, reviewed correspondence from the professional and academic communities, and maintained files of articles published by Agnew or his staff. She also helped organize the Republican Women's Convention of 1972, and campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment. After Agnew's resignation in 1973, Spencer worked with Presidential Counselor Anne Armstrong in the Office of Women's Programs before returning to Maryland. She held positions on the Board of Trustees of the State Universities and Colleges, and in 1978 was appointed Executive Director. In 1988, she helped develop the plan for the reorganization of Maryland's higher education system. In 1990, she became Deputy Chancellor of the University of Maryland system. When Chancellor Donald Langenberg abolished the position in 1991, Spencer took a leave of absence for writing and research. Jean Spencer died on March 19, 1992, at the age of fifty-eight. In 1993, the Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legislators of Maryland added her posthumously to the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.
From the description of Papers of Jean Spencer, 1963-1973. (University of Maryland Libraries). WorldCat record id: 53996332
