Sam Spence is the director of public affairs and oversees the Preservation Society’s communication and strategic initiatives. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, before moving to Charleston nearly 20 years ago, Sam has seen firsthand the impacts of growth and sprawl on historic communities.
Before joining the Preservation Society, Sam worked in politics and media for more than a decade, most recently at the Charleston City Paper alt-weekly, first serving as web editor before being named editor. Sam’s journalistic work focused on state and local government reporting and opinion writing, collecting several South Carolina Press Association honors over the years. He remains a freelance writer for local and national publications. Sam is a graduate of College of Charleston, where he majored in Historic Preservation and Community Planning as well as Political Science.