#AHHPowerfulWomen: From Hip-Hop to Sports to Politics, Google Executive Valeisha Butterfield-Jones Finds Her Purpose in Empowering All
Valeisha currently serves as the Head of Black Community Engagement for Google, responsible for strengthening and deepening the technology giant’s affinity to the Black community globally. She is also the current Co-founder and CEO of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network and author of the highly acclaimed book, The Girlprint, a mentorship guide for women to propel their dreams into action (available at Amazon.com).
As a college student, Butterfield Jones began working full-time for music legends Wu Tang Clan and for former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. After graduation, Valeisha was recruited by HBO Boxing and served as the Executive Assistant to the President of HBO Sports. She then returned to her North Carolina roots and served as the Field Director for Chief Justice Henry Frye of the N.C. Supreme Court. After a devastating loss on election night, Valeisha moved to New York City to further pursue her entertainment dreams and landed an unpaid internship with music mogul Russell Simmons.
Valeisha was a professional standout and turned her entertainment aspirations into action by becoming one of the youngest Executive Directors of a national organization at the time. Valeisha served as the Program Manager, Director of Sponsorship and Events, Vice President and eventually the National Executive Director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network over a seven-year period.
During this time, she was introduced to then Senator Barack Obama and began serving as a volunteer for his 2008 Presidential campaign. Valeisha recruited celebrity surrogates to endorse and support Senator Obama and received a call soon after election night to serve in the Obama Administration. Valeisha served by Presidential appointment in the Administration of U.S. President Barack Obama as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the International Trade Administration and as the National Youth Vote Director for the 2012 Obama for America campaign.
Valeisha has been widely credited for her magnetic relationship with youth culture and her role turning out young Americans during the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections. Valeisha also served as the National Ambassador for the United Negro College Fund’s Empower Me Tour in 2014 and 2015.
Valeisha has been recognized by Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle, Essence Top 40 under 40, Ebony Top 100, Jet, Black Enterprise and Sister 2 Sister Magazines as a leading young executive in the United States with her finger on the pulse of all things related to youth culture, entertainment and politics. Butterfield Jones has also appeared on OWN TV’s Light Girls, Aspire TV’s Exhale, Arise News, Arise 360, Centric TV’s Morning Cup, BET News, BET’s 106 and Park and others.
AllHipHop: What’s the most enjoyable part of the job and your duties?
Valeisha Butterfield Jones:
The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing that the work I do is having a direct and measurable impact in our community. I’m only inspired when I’m living…