Laura Spencer

Biography

Laura K. Spencer, Ed.D. is a senior education leader, instructional designer, and consultant specializing in human-centered leadership, personalized learning, and the practical integration of emerging technologies. She currently serves as Chief Academic Officer for a California public charter organization, where she leads instructional vision, program design, and educator development across diverse learning models. Her work focuses on building systems that support clarity, equity, and sustainable leadership rather than compliance-driven or personality-dependent models.

In addition to her executive role, Dr. Spencer is a higher education instructor and course designer, teaching graduate-level courses in instructional design, educational leadership, and the use of AI to support learning. She is also the co-founder of an immersive learning consultancy focused on XR and AI-enabled learning experiences that prioritize real-world relevance, ethical use, and learner agency. Her professional background spans K–12, higher education, nonprofit leadership, and edtech innovation.

Dr. Spencer is a frequent presenter and writer on leadership, learning design, and the future of education, with an emphasis on empathy, decision-making under real conditions, and the unintended consequences of poorly designed systems. Her work bridges research, lived experience, and practical application, helping leaders and educators move beyond theory toward approaches that actually hold up in complex, human environments.

Professional Interests

Dr. Spencer’s professional and research interests focus on human-centered leadership, instructional design, and the practical use of emerging technologies to improve learning and organizational systems. She is particularly interested in personalized and competency-based learning, ethical applications of artificial intelligence, and immersive XR experiences that support deep understanding and real-world skill development. Her work also explores systems thinking, equity, and decision-making under complex conditions, with an emphasis on designing structures that support sustainable leadership and learner agency rather than dependence on individual personalities.

Education and Certifications

Ed.D Educational Leadership & Administration

Courses

• Educational Technology
• Content Knowledge and Instructional Practice IV: Differentiated Learning

Scholarship & Contributions to the Field

Dr. Spencer’s scholarship and professional contributions focus on advancing human-centered leadership and learning design through research-informed practice. Her work includes designing and teaching graduate-level coursework, leading large-scale instructional initiatives in K–12 education, and developing immersive XR and AI-enabled learning experiences aligned to standards and adult learning theory. She regularly presents at professional conferences, consults with educational organizations, and contributes practitioner-focused writing that bridges theory and implementation, with an emphasis on equity, sustainability, and real-world application.