Rate My Professor Janet Spencer

Janet Spencer serves as the Southeast District Director for Virginia Cooperative Extension, a partnership of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. In this leadership position since 2017, she oversees operations for 22 urban and rural extension units across southeast Virginia, providing administrative coordination and strategic direction for district and state initiatives in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and community resource development. Spencer's work supports educational outreach and applied research to address local needs in farming communities, drawing on her extensive experience in the field.

Spencer earned a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and a Master of Science in Entomology from Virginia Tech. She began her career with Virginia Cooperative Extension in 2005 as an Area Extension Agent for Commercial Vegetable Production, where she coordinated on-farm research trials and delivered targeted educational programs for vegetable producers in southeast Virginia. In 2010, she advanced to Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent and Unit Coordinator for Isle of Wight County, previously serving in a role focused on ANR Crop and Soil Sciences. There, she developed research-based programs on crop production, managed local volunteer groups, and acted as a liaison between the Extension and local government. Spencer's scholarly contributions include co-authoring the 'Survey of Pest Management Practices of Virginia Sweet Corn Growers – 2017' with specialists such as Thomas P. Kuhar, Helene Doughty, and others, documenting grower practices in pest control. She authored 'Building Your Extension Career: Strategies and Tips for Early Career Success' in 2025, based on insights from experienced professionals, as well as reports like 'Virginia Cooperative Extension Onboarding 2021 Survey Findings' and 'New VCE Onboarding – Professional Development Survey' in 2022. Through these efforts, she has advanced extension education in agriculture.