40 Under 40 Class of 2024 Honors College Alumni Spotlight on Bernice Butler
Article by Armida Yee-Muñoz
Videos by Heather Fields
ATLANTA—Bernice Butler (B.A. '06), an Honors College graduate and a 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 honoree, has woven her philanthropic ethos and passion for public service throughout her career, through roles such as Administrative Budget Manager and Grant Coordinator in Michigan.
Now, as the Executive Director of the D.C. State Board of Education for almost two years, Butler leads work around policy and research, leaning into her passions through her work in a major public office in one of the busiest cities in the nation.
Watch: Butler on working with elected officials on the D.C. State Board of Education
“I really have an opportunity to dig deeply into the work that I love and I get to take off the administrator hat and be a policy wonk and a nerd.”
With a wealth of experience spanning over 15 years working in local government and education advocacy, Bernice’s journey includes a pivotal role as a senior associate at the Data Quality Campaign, where she analyzed education policies and championed evidence-based improvements for student outcomes in Washington D.C.
“Our local government is at the heartbeat of the community,” Bernice states. “One of the things that is unique about local government is that it is different everywhere you go. The local nature of education, politics and policy is an opportunity for the people to show up for what’s important and what they value.
“At the center of everything, it is about meeting the needs of people — every detail matters because place and people cannot be separated,” she said.
Reflecting on her time as a GSU student, Bernice recalls a few pivotal moments that solidified her commitment to public service and fundamentally changed her.
“On the one-year commemoration of 9/11, I was a freshman at Georgia State and I remember being in Unity Plaza full of thousands of students lighting candles who might have looked different and spoke different languages, but were all feeling the same emotions,” Bernice said.
For Bernice, Georgia State’s Evolving Experiences Dialogue Series was an opportunity for students like her to come together and dig deep into who they were and understand each other after experiencing such difficult times.
Watch: Butler on how the Evolving Experiences Dialogue Series impacted her
“The Dialogue Series brought the human aspect to a world that I thought I knew. It was a learning experience so far beyond the classroom that it pushed me to go out into the world knowing I already had an environment at Georgia State where I had the chance to evolve and learn.”
While Bernice’s achievements have already had a significant impact on her communities, her journey is far from over.
“Georgia State instilled the confidence that I am successful and that what I bring to the table is value enough,” Bernice said. “I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence in myself had I gone to college somewhere else.”