Of Black Dolls, Storybooks, and Telephone Calls: The Women Who Prepared Me to Lead

Dr. Tracy Butts
Interim Dean
Humanities and Fine Arts
CSU, Chico

Tracy Butts, CSU, Chico’s Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, is a strong woman in a position of power; and she’s careful to check that this power is always used positively, justly, and well.

The journey to become Dean was not always one that Dr. Butts would have predicted for herself, but in retrospect, through stories and interactions, she sees that she had been carefully prepared for this position through many steps on her life’s journey.

Dr. Butts recognizes four influential women who guided her personally and educationally, teaching her the importance of positivity, advocacy, representation, poise, and professionalism. Through these lessons on self-worth, identity, and scholarship, she honors those women who helped prepare her for the gravity and joy that come along with her position as Dean.

Recorded: February 15, 2019