Clayton Spencer

A. Clayton Spencer
8th President of Bates College
In office
July 1, 2012 – July 1, 2023
ProvostMatthew Auer
Malcolm Hill
Preceded byElaine Tuttle Hansen
Succeeded byGarry Jenkins
Personal details
Born
Ava Clayton Spencer

(1954-12-15) December 15, 1954 (age 69)
Concord, North Carolina, U.S.
SpouseAsh Carter (divorced)
Children2
RelativesSamuel Spencer (father)
EducationWilliams College (BA)
University of Oxford (BA)
Harvard University (MA)
Yale University (JD)
Websitewww.bates.edu/president/

Ava Clayton Spencer (born December 15, 1954) is an American attorney. She was the eighth president of Bates College. She had previously served as the vice president for institutional policy at Harvard University from 2005 to 2012.

Her tenure over Bates saw a marked increase in financial assets, major campus expansion, and increased academic competitiveness. She has been criticized for failing to quell biases in higher education and socioeconomic inequality.