Jeffrey Spanbauer, Heather E.M. Spanbauer and Stewart Spanbauer
Jeff Spanbauer (Agribusiness Management/Horticulture ’93) graduated summa cum laude from NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). He was a member of Pi Alpha Xi and Gamma Sigma Delta honor societies and Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He also founded the campus-wide Baseball Club. From a long line of rose growers, Jeff majored in Horticulture, but pursued a career in business. Jeff worked for Pfizer and for Procter & Gamble before co-founding Healthcare Regional Marketing, which became Relevate Health Group in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also holds an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Heather Muir Spanbauer (Biological Sciences, Nutrition concentration ‘93) has always had a deep interest in life sciences and in serving her community. At NC State, Heather wrote for the student newspaper, the Technician, worked in the Animal Science laboratory, was a member and president of Archery Club and was also an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Heather went on to earn an M.S. in Nutritional Science at the University of Illinois, Urban-Champaign and an M.A. in Zoology at Miami University of Ohio. Heather has served with AmeriCorps at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as a Sustainability Engagement Member, helping to educate the public about conservation, sustainability practices and healthy communities. Heather is also an active volunteer in Cincinnati, serving on the Adventure Crew board and mentoring local students.
Heather and Jeff met when they were NC State freshman and now have three children: Stewart, Calvin and Jocelyn. Stewart (Industrial Engineering ’19) was an accomplished diver with the NC State men’s swimming and diving team 2015-2019 and now works in engineering at Procter & Gamble in Greensboro, North Carolina. He shares his parents’ Wolfpack loyalty and looks forward to joining in the family’s philanthropic tradition. Calvin graduated with a major in marketing from The Ohio State University in 2020 and is studying for his M.S. at Peking University in Beijing, China (Class of 2022). Jocelyn attends Tufts University in Boston (Class of 2024) and is part of the varsity swim team.
The Spanbauer family is proud to help CALS students with this scholarship. Having received a merit scholarship as a student, Jeff experienced firsthand the financial impact as well as how much confidence it gave him as a student. They also recognize the importance of opportunities for students to pursue higher education regardless of their financial circumstances. The goal of NC State’s Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative is to offer more need-based scholarships across campus, expanding affordability and access for North Carolina students.