Earlier this year, Spencer Chaisanguanthum, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Eloquence Academy, received the Jefferson Award and was named a New Jersey State Governor’s Volunteerism Honoree. Sponsored by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, the award is the state’s highest honor for its very best volunteers.

c/o Spencer Chaisanguanthum

Spencer began his role as Chief Executive Officer in September 2022. During his tenure, Eloquence Academy has launched all of its existing programs to serve 2,500 students nationwide. Spencer has crafted two strategic plans that integrate innovation, pedagogical excellence, diversity, and an emphasis on civics, earning Eloquence Academy recognition as one of the nation’s leading debate academies and a top 75 youth afterschool program for service learning in the United States. Previously, Spencer served as a Student Leader at the New York City Urban Debate League and represented over 150,000 student members through a two-year term on the Student Leadership Council at the National Speech & Debate Association. A debater in his own right, Spencer competed for more than a decade in Public Forum Debate and led the team at the Dalton School.

Administered by the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Volunteerism in the New Jersey Department of State and New Jersey Advanced Media, the Jefferson Award honors individuals and groups for exceptional public service and community impact. Recipients demonstrate unique vision, dedication, and tenacity of heroic proportion without the expectation of recognition or compensation; recipients serve as an inspiration to others. The award process began earlier in the year in January, when nearly 1,000 nominations were submitted statewide in a range of categories, from Animal Welfare to Executive Leadership. Nominations were then read and blind-reviewed by a panel of over 60 judges. After multiple rounds of screening and sorting, the top 11% of highest-scoring nominees were named honorees. Spencer won in the Founders/Innovators category, a group of individuals whose vision and dedication “result in the establishment of a new organization to meet unmet needs or improve means of meeting those needs.”

An in-person ceremony occurred in Trenton, New Jersey on June 22, 2025. The livestream is available now and can be shared and viewed at any time. The beginning of the stream features a slideshow of photos showcasing honorees performing acts of volunteerism and community service.

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Eloquence Academy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and 509(a)(2) public charity dedicated to increasing equitable academic debate opportunities for rural and historically underserved students. The Academy offers debate classes, summer camps, workshops, tournaments, in-school programs, and online resources for 2,500+ students across 35 states and 17 countries. Ultimately, EA aims to prepare youth for college readiness, career engagement, and community impact through the transferable skills gained from debate. Follow EA on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.