Dr. Butts Bio

Dr. Jeff Butts is a proud graduate of Millikin University (BS), Illinois State University (MS), and Purdue University (PhD). He began his career as a public educator in 1992 in central Illinois. Over the past 29 years he has held positions as a bus driver, coach, teacher, athletic director, principal, assistant superintendent, and now superintendent. He became the fifth superintendent in the history of the M.S.D. of Wayne Township on January 1, 2011. Dr. Butts is currently a Broad Fellow Candidate at the Yale School of Management. He is the 2019 AASA National Superintendent of the Year Runner-up, and a recipient of the 2019 IAPSS Indiana Superintendent of the Year, Ed Tech Digital Trailblazer Award from Indiana COSN, Administrator of the Year from the Indiana High School Press Association, the Indiana Council for Exceptional Children Advocate of the Year, Minority Police Officers Association Award for Outstanding Work in the Community, Cause Driven Leadership Award from the YMCA, Indiana National Guard Awards for Exceptional Support to the Community, The Center for Digital Education Digital Content and Curriculum Achievement Award, Hobson’s Education Advances Award, the Center for Digital Education Top 30 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers, and District V Principal of the Year from the Indiana Association of School Principals.

Dr. Butts has held many leadership positions in the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, past board chair with the Hendricks Regional Health (HRH) YMCA, president of the Indiana Partnershare, and past president for the Indiana Urban Schools Association (IUSA). He was selected to serve on the transition team for Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, and served on several advisory committees with the Indiana Department of Education. Dr. Butts is currently a member of the Indiana University Education Law Advisory Board and Purdue University Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Advisory Board.  He also serves as the West Central Joint Services President, HRH YMCA Emeritus Board Chair, President of the Indy Gateway Economic and Community Development Corporation, board chair for the Emergency Services Education Center, Treasurer for IUSA, a board member for the West Side Chamber of Commerce, and the Marion County Public Health Department’s Community Health Assessment Steering Committee.  He formerly served as a committee member on the 2022 College Football Playoff - Indianapolis Host Committee, advisory board member for Safe Hiring Solution, ParentSquare National Advisory Council, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Diversity Task Force, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee Race and Cultural Relations Leadership Network, and Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative Issue Management Committee. He is a co-facilitator and presenter for EPIC, a groundbreaking leadership excellence program for Indiana’s public school superintendents through Butler University and the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, in collaboration with the College of Education and the Lacy School of Business. He is also a facilitator and mentor in the Indiana Aspiring Superintendent Academy.  Dr. Butts became an executive coach through Professional & Executive Development, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, as a participant in Leadership Coaching Strategies for IAPSS.   He is a proud  member of the first cohort of the Marvelous Potential Program, an Indianapolis program of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative.

His wife, Tammy, is a retired teacher. A little-known fact about Dr. Butts is he is a fourth generation Standardbred horse trainer.