Overview
Andre’ Spence draws on more than 20 years of experience in compliance, auditing, and program oversight—and the past 6 years dedicated to school safety—to help schools and communities create safe, supportive learning environments. As a school safety technical assistance specialist with WestEd, Spence partners with state agencies and school districts nationwide to strengthen safety systems; advance behavioral threat assessment practices; and foster collaboration among educators, law enforcement, and community interest holders.
In his role at WestEd, Spence provides comprehensive technical assistance to Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence grantees, including school districts and state agencies across the nation. He leads the implementation of nationally recognized models such as the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) and Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG), guiding schools in building tailored, evidence-based protocols to identify, intervene in, and manage potential threats to safety. Spence conducts in-depth safety audits, designs and delivers professional development, and facilitates the integration of behavioral threat assessment teams to ensure schools are prepared to respond effectively. His work has directly informed school district policies, built statewide capacity for behavioral threat assessment, and received praise from district leaders for transforming school safety practices.
Before joining WestEd, Spence built an extensive career in compliance and auditing, areas in which he specialized in evaluating systems and ensuring adherence to organizational and regulatory standards. This work provided the foundation for his evidence-based approach to school safety and threat assessment. In addition to his role at WestEd, Spence serves as Associate Professor of Instruction in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Texas State University, where he teaches research methods and statistics alongside a variety of courses in criminal justice and criminology. Across all his roles, Spence is committed to helping schools and communities adopt proactive, data-informed strategies that protect students and foster positive learning environments.
Education
- PhD in administration of justice, Texas Southern University
- MS in family and child studies, Texas State University
- BS in psychology/criminal justice, Prairie View A&M University