Rabbi Samuel L. Spector has been the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami since 2018. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He attended the University of California, San Diego, where he was an active brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Rabbi Spector graduated with Cum Laude honors with a B.A. in Judaic Studies and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Masters in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.

While in rabbinical school, Rabbi Spector served as the student rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim in Merced, California and as a member of the Chaplain Candidate Program for the United States Navy.

Prior to coming to Congregation Kol Ami, Rabbi Spector served as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Judea in Tarzana, California. He is currently a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and serves on the advisory board for the Salt Lake Chamber and the Christian Center of Park City.

He is an avid fan of baseball, Jewish history, and traveling, having been to over 60 countries. He is conversational in Hebrew and Spanish. In his free time, you can find Rabbi Spector playing with Nezek, his Brittany Spaniel, and Walter, his Chocolate Lab. Rabbi Spector is married to Jill, an Idaho-native, who works in hospitality; they are proud parents of their daughters, Miriam and Esti, and host parents of Yasamin, a high school student from Afghanistan.