About Us

Dr. Kimberlin Butler is an executive cross-sector catalyst for social impact with over 20 years of experience in public education, public affairs, and philanthropy. She is the Founder and Chief Possibility Catalyst of The L.E.A.D. Agency, a social impact and philanthropic engagement firm. A connector, convener, and collaborator, she catalyzes possibilities and facilitates collaboration across diverse networks to achieve shared vision. Dr. Butler pioneered Youth-Possible Philanthropy™, a transformative approach that positions the field of philanthropy to authentically engage young people as central partners in foundation programmatic investments, governance and strategy. Given her early career as a public school teacher and place-based funder in Atlanta, she enjoys catalyzing investments for communities and youth to L.E.A.D.™ – Learn, Excel, Achieve, and discover their Destiny.

As former Senior Director of Foundation Engagement at Mathematica, Dr. Butler designed the evidence-informed grantmaking and strategy framework, which emphasizes understanding community contexts to guide effective philanthropic investments. She also founded Mathematica’s Equity Community of Practice, driving companywide efforts to center equity in philanthropic practice. Across her career, Dr. Butler has advanced collaboration within the philanthropic ecosystem, amplifying the voices of those closest to social challenges as essential partners in shaping solutions.

Dr. Butler’s leadership experience is extensive and impactful. During the Obama Administration, she advised the U.S. Secretary of Education on philanthropic alignment and facilitated White House convenings. She led three national funder networks at Grantmakers for Education, managed a $15M Accelerator Fund at StriveTogether, and launched Beyond 12’s Atlanta office to advance college completion for under-resourced students.

A dedicated servant leader, Dr. Butler was named one of Women We Admire’s Top 50 Leaders of DC in 2023. She is an alum of the Connecting Leaders Fellowship Program through the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), a national program for executive foundation leadership. Her board service includes former roles as President of the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill Foundation, Board Secretary for the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation (Seeding Justice), and member of the Friends of the Children Board of Directors.

A native of Baton Rouge, Dr. Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University, a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, and a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.