Pat Spearman
Patricia Ann Spearman (born 1955) is an American cleric, veteran, and Democratic politician from North Las Vegas, Nevada. She was elected in November 2012 to the Nevada Senate representing District 1, that is composed of the northern section of North Las Vegas and slivers of neighboring jurisdictions, after defeating incumbent John Jay Lee in the primary, and winning the general election. Spearman became the first openly lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature. She was re-elected in November 2016, and serves as co-majority whip since. Regarded as one of the most liberal members of the Nevada Senate, Spearman has introduced bills that provide equal pay for women, support LGBT rights, and support veterans. Spearman is also a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. Moreover, she was involved in the process of establishing the Nevada Revenue Plan during the 2015 session. On October 6, 2021, Spearman entered the 2022 race for Mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada. Before being elected senator, Spearman served in the United States Army for 29 years, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel, was a pastor, and held several public service positions, including president of the school district of San Marcos, Texas. Early life and career Born in 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Spearman was the daughter of a traveling evangelist. Because of that, she moved a lot during her childhood. Spearman earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.). Moreover, she attended the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, while serving in the army. When Spearman was running for Senate in 2012, she was pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at Walden University, an online college. Spearman spent 29 years (1977–2007) in the Military Police Corps of the United States Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. While serving in the military in 2004, she received the title Kentucky colonel. Furthermore, she held different public service positions in San Marcos, Texas in the 1980s and 1990s, starting as chair of the advisory council of a local district of the Department of Health and Human Services for two years. Thereafter, she was simultaneously member of the board of directors of a local charitable organization, member of the 17th Congressional District Selection Committee for Military Academies, and president of the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District. She reached the board of the school district in 1991 after receiving 1,136 votes, and was chosen board president six months later. She did not seek re-election to a second term in 1994. In the early 1990s, she also served as pastor of the Jackson Chapel, a United Methodist church in San Marcos. Between 2001 and 2005, Spearman served as faculty at the University of Louisville, where she was a lecturer in Pan American studies and director of the multicultural center. After moving to the Las Vegas