Spencer Hired as Program Specialist for City of Sedalia
Sara Spencer is working hard for the City of Sedalia since being hired Feb. 17 as the program specialist.
Spencer first interviewed for the position in early January. She noted that the job description was originally downtown planner, but was changed to program specialist, which was just fine with her.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Spencer said. “Every day is a little different. I’ve been going to all the different departments, introducing myself. I really like talking to people. I like getting to know the people I’ll be working with.”
Spencer, who is originally from Trenton, said she will oversee all the downtown Sedalia events and planning for those events, as well as working with Sedalia Main Streets (SMS), which is comprised of four committees.
Spencer graduated from UCM in 2024 with a graphic design degree, which she has already been using in her new job with the City of Sedalia. “I use it every day with Adobe and Canva” she explained, with her being in charge of Sedalia Main Streets’ facebook page.
In fact, she still lives in Warrensburg with her fiancé, but has plans to move to Sedalia by the time her lease is up at the end of April.
Quarterly and annual assessments must be sent to Missouri Main Streets (MMS) to remain affiliated with the organization, she noted. MMS helps smaller communities with downtown revitalization efforts.
“My goal is to invite more of those downtown business owners to be a part of those committees,” Spencer said.
In her travels around town to introduce herself, Spencer said she has been met with a lot of positivity. “A lot of people were really excited, and that made me feel really good.”
She added that she truly has enjoyed every single person that she’s met, including department heads and various employees. “Everybody has been so good to me. And that makes me feel like I’m doing a good thing,” Spencer commented.
She noted that downtown Sedalia is not laid out like most small towns. “It’s hard to host events that the whole span of downtown … it’s my job to attract people and make them want to come and shop downtown.”
Spencer noted that this Saturday’s Pub Crawl will be her first experience with a downtown event, and she’s excited to be a part of it.
Having the Amtrak station at the north end of the downtown area is so nice, she said, because it attracts visitors from Kansas and St. Louis. Plus, everything downtown is within walking distance from the train depot.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with event planning, that’s not something that I’ve ever done. But I’m really fortunate to have (Community Engagement Director) Jessica (Hoffman) to help me find my way and give me the information I need in order to do a good job for downtown Sedalia. I’m really excited for the opportunity expand my knowledge and experience,” she said.
Spencer has her mom to thank for making Sara aware of the job posting for a position here in Sedalia.
“It was my day off, and my mom (Tammie Winter) sent me the link. She said ‘Hey, you would be awesome at this!’” Spencer recalled. “She’s the one who did it. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have seen it.”
Funny thing is, her fiance` Jason works right across the street from the Municipal Building at Backwoods Guitar, 2nd and Osage.
“I see him pretty often. When he’s outside (on break), I’ll wave to him or text a picture of him,” she noted.
Spencer says she has some promotional ideas in her head that she can’t wait to implement, and she also welcomes ideas from the SMS promotional committee as well.
She stressed that she does not lead SMS, but she helps facilitate and provide ideas for the group, describing herself as a member, rather than an advisor.
Hoffman said she is excited to have her on the City of Sedalia team. “She brings that positivity and refreshing energy. She has a lot of fresh ideas. And I think it’s going to help revitalize and bring life to downtown. I’m very excited,” Hoffman said. “She’s a go-getter and a self-starter, and she has really strong morals and ethics, and I just think that’s going to be awesome.”
Spencer has already made an impact on the downtown area, working with Public Works to create a gravel pad next to Ozark Coffee on South Ohio.
Next is working on wayfinding signs for the downtown area. “We’re really excited about that,” Spencer said. “We have the poles already and we have a design meeting on Thursday. We’re going to talk about that and get it finalized is we can.”
Hoffman noted that Spencer brings a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective to the situation from somebody who lives outside of Sedalia.
