Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III - President, State University of New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury
Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, is President of State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. Regularly sought by leaders in politics, business, and the media for his insight and opinions, he has had a pervasive impact across his career on such wide-ranging issues as education, homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, cultural awareness and ecumenical outreach. From his leadership of among the most diverse colleges in America to his groundbreaking creation of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, which has spurred the renewal of Harlem, New York, he serves as a living example of his belief that the power of each individual can change the course of our world.
Dr. Butts serves as Chairman of the Board of the Abyssinian Development Corporation while also serving as a member of the leadership boards of The Markle Initiative, The Long Island Association, the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tenn., New Visions for Public Schools, and the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education.
He is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/Aids, a former chairman of the Board of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA), and a founding member of the organization’s Board of Commissioners.
A lifelong New Yorker, Dr. Butts earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He returned to New York and earned a Master of Divinity Degree in Church History from the Union Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. He has taught Urban Affairs at City College, New York and Black Church History at Fordham University.