Valeisha Butterfield

Entertainment executive Valeisha Butterfield was born on January 30, 1978 in Wilson, North Carolina to Jean and George Butterfield, Jr. She graduated from Ralph L. Fike High School in Wilson, North Carolina in 1996. She went on to receive her B.A. degree in political science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000.

In 1999, Butterfield was hired as an executive assistant at Mike Tyson Enterprises by Shawnee Simms, Mike Tyson’s long-time entertainment manager. In 2000, Butterfield returned to North Carolina and began working on Judge Henry Frye’s re-election campaign. In 2001, Butterfield moved to Los Angeles, California when she was cast in a recurring role on the soap opera All My Children opposite actress Susan Lucci. Butterfield was hired at Gersh Talent Agency in New York City as an executive assistant to the vice president of HBO Sports in 2002. Then, Butterfield was hired by record executive Russell Simmons’ media firm, Rush Communications, in 2004, serving as its executive director and working in collaboration with Simmons’ companies: Def Jam Enterprises, Baby Phat, Phat Farm, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. In 2007, Butterfield was promoted to executive director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network; and at the same time, founded the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network. In 2009, Butterfield was hired as the deputy of public affairs at the Department of Commerce during the Obama administration. Then, in 2011, she went to work for the Obama for America campaign as the national youth vote director. In 2016, Butterfield was hired at Google as the global head of women engagement. In 2020, Butterfield was appointed chief diversity and inclusion officer of The Recording Academy, becoming co-president in 2021. In 2022, Butterfield left the academy to return to Google as vice president of partnerships on the diversity team. Founder of the production company Seed Media, Butterfield produced the film The Memo, staring Kyla Pratt, in 2024.

In 2017, Butterfield was a 14th Annual McDonald's 365Black Awards honoree, and in 2020, she was a 14th Annual ADCOLOR Awards honoree.

Butterfield has two children, Dahntay Jr. and Dillon Jones. They reside in Los Angeles, California.

Valeisha Butterfield was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 7, 2024.