Seletha R. Butler
Assistant Professor of Business Law, Georgia Institute of Technology – College of Management
Seletha Butler is a strategic leader with an MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Management and a law degree from Harvard Law School. With deep intellectual curiosity and a desire for continuous personal and professional growth, Ms. Butler demonstrated her passion for change and appetite for risk when she took a leap of faith and left the traditional practice of law to pursue her next dream - higher education and strategy. When asked how she as a risk adverse lawyer could take such bold action, Ms. Butler's response was:
"All of my true successes and happiness resulted from taking calculated risks. Without risk there is no return. I view myself as a creative thinker and advisor with a law degree. Fortunately, as a lawyer, I maintained my ability to think creatively, evaluation a situation and take calculated risks."
With a life-long passion for and experience in entrepreneurship, Ms. Butler founded Butler Co, which name she created while at The University of Alabama. Believing that day-dreaming and subconscious thoughts are for a reason, she had to use Butler Co. Ms. Butler is looking through boxes for the Butler Co. name plate - an inspiration gift from one of her AKA sorority sisters while they were at The University of Alabama.
Ms. Butler goes beyond the job to serve her clients with superior, value-add service. Currently, she is a principal and an advisor at Butler Co., where she provides strategic advice to clients. At Butler Co., Ms. Butler has (1) prepared a strategic plan for the growth of a third-generation family-owned corporation; (2) provided advice on corporate governance (including state regulatory compliance) and contract negotiation and administration; (3) collaborated with senior management to design a customer collections and service policy and marketing plan; and (4) worked with senior management in identifying and developing acquisition and alliance strategies for businesses seeking to grow inorganically and organically. Fulfilling a true passion, Ms. Butler recently accepted an Assistant Professor of Business Law position at Georgia Institute of Tech's College of Management, which position commences the Fall of 2011. Her scholarship will focus on corporate governance specifically as it relates to boards of directors.
As the lead counsel for domestic and global clients managing all facets of acquisitions with an aggregate transactions value over $1 billion and private equity offerings with an aggregate transactions value over $280 million, Ms. Butler established a positive reputation with clients and colleagues. In her legal practice, Ms. Butler specialized in negotiation, contract administration, and corporate governance for U.S. and multinational companies. She is a versatile transaction leader effective in working across all levels of the organization, balancing the needs and goals of the multiple stakeholders and cross-functional teams to consistently deliver results and preserve long-term relationships and opportunities. Ms. Butler has proven success in acquisition, disposition, outsourcing, private equity, strategic alliance, technology, and venture capital transactions and innovation initiatives. She has demonstrated excellence in regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and persuasive communication. Ms. Butler is recognized for developing talent and creating high-performing teams. She also has experience across multiple industry segments, including financial services, technology, consulting, pharmaceutical, retail, food, and government-contracting.
Before forming Butler Co. and becoming a strategic advisor, Ms. Butler represented one of the nation's largest commercial banking organizations. She also has been associated with global law firms in Atlanta and Chicago.
She earned her Master of Business Administration from Georgia Institute of Technology, where she graduated with a 4.0, received an OMED Tower Award and represented Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Management in The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Student Representative Meeting (2010). Ms. Butler received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Black Law Students Association, served as current development editor of the BlackLetter Law Journal, and was a Harvard Law School Admissions recruiter. She earned a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Corporate Finance from The University of Alabama. While at The University of Alabama, Ms. Butler received the Finance and Legal Studies Special Recognition Award and the Velma Lois Jones Basileus of the Year Award, South Eastern Region, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (1993) and was a member of Golden Key, Beta Gamma Sigma and Gamma Beta Phi Honor Societies.
Ms. Butler is actively involved in the Atlanta community. She is a member of the 2005 Class of Leadership Georgia and served on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County, Inc. Ms. Butler is a speaker for area youth events on career opportunities and a board member of Tech High Foundation, Inc. Ms. Butler also is passionate about assisting others with career transitions. In January of 2011, she and an MBA classmate formed a local career transition support group, which has grown over the months. She and that classmate are working on a book on career transitioning and job search.
In her free time, when she is not involved with community service initiatives, Ms. Butler also demonstrates her creative and project management skills in her modern interior design, event planning and implementation, and lifestyle management projects. Ms. Butler enjoys traveling, with her current favorite city being Sao Paulo, Brazil, and reading, with Zadie Smith being her favorite author. She is a music fan and enjoys listening to jazz and having a glass of wine with family and friends at her home. Argentinian Malbec is her wine preference, and Lizz Wright, who performed at her wedding to Willie J. Lovett, Jr., Esq., is her favorite artist.
Ms. Butler is originally from Choctaw County, Alabama, where she attended public school.
Learn more about Ms. Butler at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/seletha-butler/a/a65/530.
