While we have all learned to proudly pro
claim, “AND they’re an RPCV!” when discussing leaders we admire, it is especially gratifying when one of our own serves right here at home. This fall, Jenny Spencer (Paraguay 2005 – 2007) will close her 5 years as a Cleveland City Council Member. Appointed in 2020 by the resigning council member, she was then successfully elected to a full four-year term in 2021. During her tenure, she has led myriad efforts to bring equity, transparency, civic pride, and good old-fashioned Peace Corps “capacity building” to City Hall.
Recently, while relishing a Lake Erie sunset from a beach blanket at Edgewater Park, Jenny and I chatted about how her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer supported her future in civic government.
When Jenny Spencer joined the Peace Corps in 2005, she wasn’t just seeking adventure—she was following a calling. A native of Shaker Heights, Jenny had already set her sights on a career in urban policy. But she recognized something important: to lead effectively in American cities, she needed deeper cultural competency, especially in Latin American communities.
Fluent in French but a novice in Spanish, Jenny made a bold case for an assignment in Latin America—and succeeded. She was placed in Paraguay, a country that, at the time, was emerging from decades of dictatorship and undergoing major democratic reforms. Immersed in both Spanish and Guaraní, Jenny served as a Municipal Services Development Volunteer in the small town of Nueva Italia.
There, she worked side-by-side with the town’s mayor and municipal staff to implement their first-ever public budgeting presentation—a milestone for transparency and civic engagement in a young democracy. The experience planted the seed for a passion Jenny would carry into her career in U.S. government: making public institutions more accountable, participatory, and accessible.
“That trust-building year—biking around town, teaching English, studying languages, and showing up at city hall every day—laid the foundation for everything that followed,” Jenny reflects. “It allowed me to become a peer and a colleague in truly meaningful ways.”
Fast-forward to 2020, when Jenny was elected to the Cleveland City Council, representing one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Northeast Ohio. Roughly 25% of her constituents are Spanish-speaking, and Jenny’s language skills and cross-cultural insight have become key tools in her day-to-day leadership—especially when navigating the often-overlooked realm of neighborhood conflicts rooted in cultural misunderstandings.
Jenny led the charge to introduce Cleveland City Council’s first-ever public comment period, giving everyday residents a voice at the table—another thread pulled straight from her time in Paraguay advocating for civic transparency.
“What I learned during Peace Corps wasn’t just how to speak a new language—it was how to listen. How to build trust over time. How to approach government not as an elite institution, but as a tool for community connection.”
And Jenny’s “ah-ha” moments abroad continue to guide her leadership at home. Whether it was recognizing her own privilege in asking where someone was vacationing, or learning to reframe introductions from “What do you do?” to “Tell me about yourself,” these experiences have helped her reimagine public service through the lens of humility, empathy, and inclusion.
On a personal note, Jenny also found love in Paraguay—despite her initial resistance to that age-old Peace Corps question, “Are you married yet?” She and Mario, a municipal colleague in Nueva Italia, have now been married for almost 17 years.
Jenny’s Advice for Aspiring Leaders:
“Give it time. Trust takes time. Cultural fluency takes time. Big changes aren’t built in the first few months—they’re built on relationships, curiosity, and showing up day after day.”
Jenny Spencer reminds us that the threads we pull from Peace Corps service don’t unravel—they weave the tapestry of experience that allows us to remain in service throughout our whole lives.