Dan Spencer is the Director of, and a Professor in, the School of Travel Industry Management. He is also a Cooperating Graduate Faculty Member in the Department of Geography and Environment. Previously he was a Senior Research Associate with the Travel, Tourism, and Recreation Resource Center at Michigan State University.

Dr. Spencer specializes in tourism policy, planning, management, and marketing. The results of his applied and methodological inquiries have been published in the Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, the Journal of Leisure Research, and other serials.

He has conducted contract research and outreach projects for the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Hawaii Sea Grant; the Office of Maunakea Management; the South Dakota Office of Tourism; the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe; Black Hills Community Economic Development; Travel Michigan; the Michigan Department of Transportation; the Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association; and other entities.

He has received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the School of Travel Industry Management and a State Award of Meritorious Service from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the national honorary fraternity of Extension professionals.