User:Valeisha Butterfield-Jones/sandbox

Valeisha Butterfield-Jones (born 1978) is the National Youth Vote Director for the Obama for America 2012 re-election campaign and Co-founder and Chair of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network. Butterfield – Jones formerly served by Presidential appointment in the U.S. Department of Commerce as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs, as the Executive Director for Russell Simmons Hip Hop Summit Action Network.

Early life & Education
Valeisha is the daughter of U.S. Congressman G. K. Butterfield and North Carolina State Legislator Jean Farmer-Butterfield. Valeisha graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 2000. After attending law school at North Carolina Central University for a year she left school to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Career
After leaving law school Valeisha began work at HBO Sports. Soon after joining HBO Sports she left to work for Rush Communications, Inc. (Russell Simmons’ entertainment conglomerate).1

At Rush Communications she rose from an unpaid intern to Executive Director of Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network where she remained until 2009. She then moved into the public sector as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for International Trade on behalf of the Obama administration.

In 2007 she co-founded the Women in Entertainment Network (WEEN)2 a global non-profit organization of women and men committed to supporting, promoting and defending the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and society. The organization currently has more than 49,000 active members and provides educational programs for young women worldwide.

Personal life
Valeisha married Indiana Pacers guard Dahntay Jones on July 24, 2011.4