Calvin O. Butts, III is Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, and President of SUNY College at Old Westbury. His commitment to the enhancement of God’s kingdom on earth has manifested itself in his loyal attention to the daily activities and services of the congregation, as well as the pervasive impact of the church on community development initiatives: homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, cultural awareness and ecumenical outreach.

Abyssinian Baptist Church, led by Dr. Butts, is committed to move

forward in faith for the maintenance and expansion of its continuing Christian mission. He was one of the founders of Abyssinian Development Corporation, a comprehensive community-based organization, responsible for over $500 million in housing and commercial development in Harlem, and continues to help guide and support the daily operation of this not-for-profit organization. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change – a public lower, intermediate and high school, under the direction of Abyssinian Development Corporation.

Dr. Butts is a native New Yorker. He spent a few years in the South, where he 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, and served as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College, New York. He has taught Black Church History at Fordham University, and has given numerous lectures and speeches at colleges and universities across the nation.

In addition to his professional and religious avocations, Dr. Butts is President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York; Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of United Way of New York City; Chairman of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (BLCA), and a founding member of the organization’s Board of Commissioners. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of North General Hospital, and is a member of the Board of the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rev. Butts previously served as President of Africare, an independent organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in rural Africa and, Chairman of the Board for the Harlem Branch YMCA. Further, he has been presented with honorary degrees from The City College of New York; Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama; Claflin College of Orangeburg, South Carolina; Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana; Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania; and Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.