Mindy Butler

Hi Everyone!
I love that its only been ten years since we've graduated! Am I the only one who feels like its been even longer?
After high school I went to Boise State University. I loved it~ In addition to working full time, undergrad was filled with hot springing in the mountains, late nights and early mornings studying philosophy, history, religion, art, and weekends at poetry readings and writers circles (I was convinced for a short while that I was meant to be a writer after receiving a few scholarships for it). My interest in political activism grew and I was heavily involved Boise's various feminist circles. I acted in and then produced "The Vagina Monologues", and coordinated "Take back the Night" and "Clothesline Project" amongst other projects for BSU's Women's Center. I also volunteered regularly lobbying the Idaho Congress and Senate with the Idaho Women's Network for various legislation, and as a rape crisis advocate for the Women and Children's Crisis Alliance. I received my bachelors in Political Science with emphasis in Public Law and Political Theory and got my minor in Women's Studies.

I was then accepted to Milano the New School for Urban Policy Analysis and Management, which meant I got to move to Brooklyn and go to school in Manhattan. Grad school was full of hot debates over social and economic policy, late nights drafting policy proposals and crunching numbers, reading up on best practices and studying non profit management. I was the TA for our statistics courses, and was pleased to find I really have a head for numbers. Grad school was a period of time for soul searching how my career and my life should exemplify my values while defining and redefining what those exactly were (I'm still doing a bit of that and hope to for the rest of my life- A life unexamined isn't worth living). I truly loved every second of it. Occasionally I got out into the city too ~ NYC is amazing, and though I've lived here 4 years I'm still discovering new neighborhoods, restaurants, bars, galleries, and shoppes. I really love living here.

Now, after grad school, I still live in Brooklyn (just in a better apartment!) with my partner of the last 6 years, Aaron, and our cat. I work in social policy, currently for NYC's largest non profit working with the homeless, Project Renewal, where I do program evaluation and statistics. I am conducting a longitudinal study on chronically homeless substance abusers and their willingness to change their substance abuse habits. It's exciting work since its the first time anyone has done this type of research. I also do freelance consulting for various other non profits and have experienced working in interesting policy arenas like bilingual education in inner city schools, economic and environmental revitalization of national parks, batter intervention programs, and disconnected youth.

I'm just starting to travel. While at Milano, I studied international non-governmental organizations in Mexico city. After graduation I celebrated graduation with a trip to a yoga ashram in the Bahamas. Aaron and I just got back from a month traveling around India, and I'm already planning a trip this fall to run an international half marathon. Any suggestions on where to go?