Calvin Butts

Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, is Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and President of SUNY College at Old Westbury. Rev. Butts was one of the founders, and is the current Chairman of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, a comprehensive, community-based nonprofit responsible for over $500 million in housing and commercial development in Harlem. He was also instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, a public, state-of-the-art, intermediate and high school in Harlem. Dr. Butts earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia; a Master of Divinity Degree in Church History from Union Theological Seminary; and a Doctorate of Ministry Degree in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. He has been an Urban Affairs instructor, and served as Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College, New York. He also taught Black Church History at Fordham University, and continues to give lectures and speeches to colleges, universities and various organizations throughout the United States and abroad. Rev. Butts is the recipient of the Man of the Year Award from Morehouse College Alumni Association; The Morehouse College Candle Award; The William M. Moss Distinguished Brotherhood Award; and The Louise Fisher Morris Humanitarian Award. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, The Prince Hall Masons (having received the 33rd final degree in Masonry), and was recognized as a "Living Treasure" by the New York City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.