Autumn Lewis Spicher to Lead Development Efforts at Honors College

Russell Cothren

Autumn Lewis Spicher, an Honors College alumna and seasoned policy analyst and development professional, was named director of development for the Honors College, effective March 15. She reports to Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College, and Lea-Ann Morton, executive director for development. 

In her new position, Spicher provides strategic oversight of the fundraising efforts for the Honors College and their Dean's Advisory Board and Parents Committee. She will also work with constituents to identify and steward a portfolio of donors to advance priorities for the Honors College and support initiatives of the university.

"We are delighted to welcome Autumn Lewis Spicher back to the Honors College," said Dean Coon. "As a former Honors College Fellow, Autumn knows firsthand the power of the coursework, mentoring, funding and networking opportunities that we offer to students. Now, having accrued substantial policy and development experience in Washington, D.C., and here in Northwest Arkansas, she is looking forward to expanding these opportunities for future generations of students."

Spicher launched her career in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a staff assistant in the office of U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor and as a development officer and state policy analyst for the National Council on Teacher Quality, securing more than $1 million in funding for the council in 2016. 

Spicher returned to Fayetteville in 2017 to work as the assistant director of development for the College of Engineering, where she managed a portfolio of more than 150 donors and prospective donors. She was responsible for soliciting gifts from alumni, corporations and foundations and helped to expand private gift support for the college.

For the last three years, she has worked as the associate director of placement and operations for the Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity, an organization focused on transforming the way that teachers are prepared to lead and serve across the state of Arkansas. 

"It is rare to have the opportunity to return to work at a place that has had as profound an impact on one's life as the Honors College had on mine," Spicher said. "I am incredibly excited to serve an institution that gave so much to me, and to work with Reynelda Augustine-Robinson to build on the strong foundation established by John Treat. I look forward to meeting with fellow alumni and friends of the Honors College to increase resources available to our amazing students."

Spicher earned bachelor's degrees in political science and economics, summa cum laude, from the U of A. She established a strong track record in leadership as an undergraduate, serving as the Associated Student Government chief of staff and chairing the Distinguished Lectures Committee and the Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program. She worked as an intern in the Office of the Chancellor and was active in Chi Omega Fraternity. 

Spicher has won numerous honors, including Associated Student Government Senator of the Year in 2012, the Henry M. Alexander Memorial Award in Political Science in 2013, the Henry Woods Student Leadership Award in 2014 and the Senior Honor Citation for Top Female Graduate from the University of Arkansas Alumni Association in 2014. She was a Harry S. Truman Scholarship Finalist in 2013 and served as a Presidential Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, 2013-2014. Spicher was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior in 2013 and was a Gates Cambridge Scholarship Finalist in 2017.

Spicher will graduate with her master of public administration degree from the U of A in May 2021.