Mo Butler, a highly respected public affairs expert with extensive experience in government relations, political campaigns and strategic communications, has been named to the Board of Trustees at Montclair State University, the school announced.
Butler is a partner at Mercury Public Affairs, where he advises clients across various sectors including government, real estate development, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and nonprofits.
He also is well known throughout the state. Butler is the former chief of staff to U.S. Senator Cory Booker (and continues to serve as a trusted advisor) and the chairman of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City.
He sits on the board of the N.J. Performing Arts Center recently was named to the board of Lyndhurst-based NRS, one of the nation’s largest logistics companies.
His appointment to the board at Montclair State came from Gov. Phil Murphy with advice and consent of the State Senate.
Montclair State President Jonathan Koppell was thrilled.
“We are pleased to welcome Mo to our Board,” he said. “His extensive experience in government and nonprofit organizations will be an outstanding addition and will help us achieve our goals in creating life-changing student outcomes.”
Butler said he is eager to get to work.
“The university is quickly becoming recognized as an innovator in the higher education space,” he said. “I look forward to working with President Koppell and the board to ensure that Montclair continues to be an institution of opportunity for New Jersey’s students.”
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Butler was chief of staff to Booker when he was mayor of Newark. In that role, Butler was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the city while managing a workforce of 3,000 public employees. Butler was also responsible for implementing the mayor’s public safety initiatives that led to a drastic reduction in crime and sought to address the underlying structural causes of violence.
Butler, a regular on influencer lists at ROI-NJ and elsewhere, received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College and master’s degree from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, where he is currently a visiting associate.
