Kelly Butler

Kelly Butler is Senior Advisor to ReadingUniverse.org, a project of the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI), where she was CEO. Under her leadership, BRI significantly contributed to Mississippi’s rise in NAEP reading scores (2019, 2022). Reading Universe, housed at PBS’s WETA, supports evidence-based literacy practices for educators. Kelly initiated the Reading Universe concept and authored three statewide studies on teacher preparation for early literacy, leading to The Path Forward initiative. She also advises the Mississippi Reading Panel, the Mississippi Reading Clinic, the Southeast Region’s Education Laboratory, and the Education Advocacy Center. Kelly holds a Master’s in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi.