Spencer Robert Frye (born December 14, 1967) serves in the Georgia General Assembly as the state representative for Georgia House district 118. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Personal life
Frye was born December 14, 1967 in Starkville, Mississippi. Frye's parents were two college students. At the age of 2, his family moved to Germany where his father, a member of the United States Army, was stationed. In 1984, Frye moved to Georgia after his father accepted a job to be the head pastor at a Presbyterian church in Griffin, GA.
Today, Frye lives in Athens, GA where he has resided since 1989. His wife, Gretchen, is an emergency room nurse at Athens Regional Hospital. The couple has been married since 2000 and has two children, Spencer and Ruby, both of whom attend public school in the district that Frye represents.
Education
After graduating high school from Woodward Academy in 1986, Frye went on to study at the University of Georgia.
Frye left the university in 1988 to work in Haiti. He first lived in the island country at the age of 13 and had the opportunity to learn construction skills while building a Baptist church in Pechaud. As a young adult, Frye taught English as a second language at L'Ecole Saint Espris Vocational School. After a year, he returned to the University of Georgia but left again due to financial hardship.
Though Frye had every intention of returning to school quickly, he did not re-enroll until almost twenty-five years later. In the fall 2013, he signed up to take the first of his two remaining classes, wanting to set a good example for his children about the importance of attaining an education and finishing what you start. Frye has also said he hopes his experience will encourage others to return to school or attain job skills that will help them build a future.
After taking classes for two fall semesters, Frye graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology on December 19, 2014. This experience was eye opening to Frye, who said he saw the many barriers students face when trying to finish a degree, such as the expenses of required electronics.
Business
Since 2006, Frye has worked as the Executive Director for Athens Area Habitat for Humanity. He first started at Habitat in 1999 as a construction manager, planning to only work with the non-profit for a year. After seeing the fulfilling work that Habitat does first hand, Frye knew that he wanted to continue helping families purchase their own homes and decided to stay.
Today, as executive director, he carries out board and Habitat International policy, handles day-to-day operations, oversees all acquisitions, developments and constructions as the licensed contractor, and oversees operations at both Habitat for Humanity Restores in Athens. Through this work, he hopes to make a difference in peoples lives by breaking the cycles of poverty.
Frye has also been a small business owner, exported American ambulances to the Middle East, fronted rock bands, and co-founded an environmental company.
Political history
Frye began his political career in 2010 when he ran in the nonpartisan race for Athens Mayor. Out of the five candidates, Frye received 21% of the vote (5,498) but lost to tax commissioner Nancy Denson who received 34% of the vote (8,929).
In 2012, Frye ran to be the Georgia State Representative for the 118th District, which includes Winterville and parts of Athens. In the July Democratic Primary, Frye faced 20 year Incumbent, Keith Heard, who he defeated with 55.33% of the vote, which he attributed to his strong involvement in the community. He then went on to win in a landslide with 70.42% of the vote in the General Election against Republican Carter Kessler.
Today, Frye serves on the Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee as the first Democrat to be appointed to committee leadership since 2004. He also serves as a member on the Game, Fish, and Parks; Ways and Means; Transportation; Health and Human Services; Human Relations and Aging Committees. In 2018, Frye was appointed to the Working Group on Creative Arts and Entertainment and the Special Committee on Access to Quality Health Care. Previously, he also served on the Science and Technology Committee.