Reverend Calvin O. Butts, III, D. Min., is Pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York. A native New Yorker, he earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Morehouse College, an M.Div. degree in Church History from Union Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. He is President of the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury, as well as of the Council of Churches of the City of New York; Chair of the Board of Managers for the C.T. Walker Housing Corporation; Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of United Way in New York City; a member of The Central Park Conservancy Board and many other committees; Chair of the National Affiliate Development Initiative of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS; a founding member of the organization's Board of Commissioners; and President of Africare, an independent organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural Africa. He has taught Urban Affairs and served as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College, New York and Black Church History at Fordham University. Dr. Butts has given numerous lectures and speeches at colleges and universities across the nation and has received many awards and commendations, including Man of the Year from the Morehouse College Alumni Association, The Morehouse College Candle Award, The William M. Moss Distinguished Brotherhood Award, and The Louise Fisher Morris Humanitarian Award. Dr. Butts was instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, a public intermediate and high school, under the direction of Abyssinian Development Corporation. He has been listed twice as a New York Power Broker and has been recognized as a Living Treasure by the New York City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Dr. Butts continues to preach in distinguished pulpits throughout New York City and vicinity, as well as nationally and internationally.