Vanessa Butler recently rejoined Groundwork Ohio to serve as the senior director of community relations and special projects, assisting with building, maintaining, and nurturing key community relationships through unique strategies, initiatives, and engagement tactics. Vanessa previously served as the president and CEO of The Center for Healthy Families, an organization that provides direct services and advocacy for girls, young women, and gender expansive youth.
During her time with The Center, Vanessa contributed to major organizational initiatives, such as Day of the Girl, which convenes nearly 500 girls, young women, and gender-expansive youth across Central Ohio to be celebrated and engage in critical dialogue around mental health, justice, and education. Vanessa’s previous professional roles include serving as a policy associate for Groundwork Ohio, which equipped her with the skill set of fostering high levels of engagement with legislative members, policymakers, and stakeholders of the organization, as well as exercising strong communication skills for statewide trainings on equity and advocacy.
She served as a civil fellow and clerk for The Ohio State University’s Student Legal Services, where she conducted lease reviews and estate planning intakes, as well as reached close to 1,000 students through presentations centered on Ohio Landlord-Tenant law. Through her time as a deputy auditor for the Board of Revision in the Franklin County Auditor’s Office, she acquired expertise in the Board of Revision administrative hearing process, communicated extensively with attorneys and their clients, and assisted with appeals to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, and the Ohio Supreme Court.
She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Denison University. She is a 2022 graduate of The Kathy Duffy Espy Leadership for Social Change Program by YWCA Columbus. Vanessa previously served on several boards, including the board of directors for the W.O.R.T.H. Foundation, the alumni board for Columbus Academy, as well Komen Young Professionals board of the Susan G. Komen Columbus affiliate. She was also previously highlighted in the Columbus Urban League’s HerStory Makers, as well as Who’s Who of Black Columbus Young Professionals.