Senator Gloria S. Butler, a Democrat, began her first term as a State Senator during the 1999 Legislative Session. She has been appointed vice-chair of the Economic Development, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs Committee and secretary of the Public Safety and Transportation Committees. She is a member of the Education Committee.

As a resident of Georgia since 1977, Senator Butler spent 12 years as Fiscal Accounting Assistant for the Health Sciences Center Library at Emory University. During this time, Senator Butler became a member of the DeKalb County NAACP branch where she initiated a voter registration campaign in 1992, registering more than 5500 new voters within six months.

In 1992, Senator Butler successfully directed Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign garnering 75% of the vote. In Washington, Butler served as Legislative Assistant to McKinney as an advisor on Agricultural Affairs, Environment, Education, Foreign Agriculture and Hunger Issues, Space and Technology, and Welfare Reform.

Two years later, Butler was recruited by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to participate in the U.S. Speaker Program where she traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland.

During the 1996 Olympics and Paralympics, Senator Butler served as Assistant to the Director of the AmeriCorps Team for National Service. There she recruited senior citizens and young adults to participate in the program during the games. For the 1996 elections, she was recruited by The Coalition for Black Voter Participation to serve as Director of Operation Big Vote in the 4th Congressional District of DeKalb County, Again initiating a voter registration campaign registering more than 10,000 new voters.

In 1997, Senator Butler served as Public Relations Director for the Martin Luther King Jr. March Committee. She currently serves as part of the executive staff in the offices of DeKalb County Sheriff, Sidney C. Dorsey.

Senator Butler attended Perimeter College, formerly DeKalb College, earning an Associate Degree in Business Administration. She is a member of the National Council of Negro Women, the National Organization for Women, DeKalb Women's Political Caucus, a governing member of the National Women's Political Caucus and a member of the executive board of the DeKalb County NAACP.

Senator Butler, the mother of two daughters, Felicia and Leslie, is also the proud grandmother of two, grandson Corey, and granddaughter Courtney.

The 55th District, which Senator Gloria Butler represents, includes portions of DeKalb County.

April 2001