Donna Butts is an advisor to the Network and the Executive Director of Generations United, a position she has held since 1997. Generations United’s mission is to improve the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational collaboration, public policies and programs for the enduring benefit of all. Previously she served in leadership positions at several youth serving organizations including the YWCA, National 4-H Council, and Covenant House.
An internationally known speaker, author and advocate, Butts frequently addresses intergenerational connections, grandparents raising grandchildren and policies effective across the lifespan. She has served on five United Nations expert panels on intergenerational and family issues. She served as an at large delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. Her commentary has appeared in, among others, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal. She has been interviewed on national and local radio and television including the TODAY Show, National Public Radio and ABC News. She was recognized three years in a row by The Nonprofit Times as one of the Top 50 most powerful and influential nonprofit executives in the US.