St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter last week tapped local attorney and Bahamas native Kristien Butler to lead the city's Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) — a job that has seen a bit of turmoil in recent years.
Butler, born and raised in Nassau, graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville before earning a law degree from what is now Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul. He previously worked for Minneapolis Public Schools and as an assistant public defender in Hennepin County. He came to the St. Paul human rights department earlier this year and has been interim director since April.
As director, Butler's starting salary will be $154,315 annually.
"The work of our Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity is critical in our efforts to rebuild," Carter said in a statement. "I look forward to Kristien leading HREEO, as we continue serving our community amid these challenging times."
Also in a statement, Butler said he is thrilled to get the appointment.
"I completely understand the significant mandate placed on me as director of HREEO and readily accept it with humility and gratitude," he said.
Former director Jessica Kingston in 2018 received a $250,000 settlement from the city in exchange for leaving the job, later telling the Star Tribune she repeatedly raised concerns that the Police Department was blocking investigations of officer misconduct.
In 2019, Carter named Valerie Jensen, a local diversity and inclusion consultant and adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, to the department's top job. She resigned a little more than a year later.
