Faith Spencer balances two distinct careers. By day, she is an experienced consultant at West Monroe Partners, developing technology solutions for corporate clients. In her remaining hours, she runs Ironworkz, a nonprofit business incubator aimed at underserved communities in Northwest Indiana.
Spencer graduated from Purdue Polytechnic with a double major in cybersecurity and network engineering. Her interest in technology began early, sparked by the first-generation Apple iPhone, but her entrepreneurial drive started even sooner. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, she spent time at her father's auto collision center and sold sandwiches to classmates in elementary school.
In high school, Spencer and two peers developed an early-warning device for cyclists, raising $10,000 through regional pitch competitions. She first visited Purdue University as a high school marching band member playing the bass drum.
"Purdue is where I figured out how to take it one step at a time, and that's how you take giant leaps," Spencer said.
While working for Purdue's IT infrastructure services as a student, Spencer learned about West Monroe from a coworker at a senior luncheon. She applied, landed an internship, and eventually secured a full-time offer at the firm's Chicago headquarters. She credits her college coursework with preparing her for the corporate environment.
"College day one, I was hands-on-and at work day one, I was hands-on. The skills directly transferred," Spencer said. "I definitely can say that I was industry ready day one through the opportunities and the classes and the labs that I took during my time at Purdue."
She noted that the strict attention to detail required by her professors and teaching assistants directly mirrors the technical communication and procedural tasks she handles for clients today. Her time leading student organizations also gave her the foundation to manage client projects early in her career.
Spencer uses her technology career to fuel her nonprofit work. Ironworkz serves creatives and aspiring business owners in areas like Gary, providing the foundational support she noticed was missing during her early entrepreneurial endeavors.
"As I was competing, I recognized that no one on stage looked like me," Spencer said. "Ironworkz was my way of, one, giving back to my community, but two, showing others opportunities. You're never too young to start a business."
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