Mrs. Butler is a wife to Mike; mother to Jack and Anna Reid; sister to Rebecca, Ginny, Will, Paul and Mike; dog-mom to Olive and Eloise; and school counselor to over 400 children each year. She's also one of Becky’s three daughters. Her mother, Rebecca Hanahan Elkins Lewis, died when she was 25 years old. She, along with her twin sister (Rebecca), were her caregivers during the last six months of her life with kidney cancer. Her mother had survived two previous cancers (cervical cancer and breast cancer). At the time, she was a graduate student at Clemson University, working on a counseling degree. On June 4, 1992, she became a motherless daughter. 

 

Elizabeth, two of her siblings, and her husband graduated from Clemson University, so her family loves all things Tigers! She met her husband, Mike, while in college at Clemson University. Her son, Jack, completed his associate degree in Music Production and Audio for Media at Atlanta Institute of Music and Media in 2020. Her daughter is studying Graphic Design and Advertising. 

​

Mrs. Butler worked in the area of substance abuse prevention for eight years through colleges and community organizations. She was a “stay-at-home” mom for ten years, while being active in her children’s schools and her neighborhood. She completed her Education Specialist degree at the University of Georgia for her K-12 School Counseling Certification just as her oldest child was entering middle school. His first day of middle school was also her first day as a middle school counselor!

​

For 13 years, Mrs. Butler served middle school students as a school counselor at Crews Middle School in Gwinnett County. She believes that middle school is a unique and rewarding level in which to work, due to the large range of emotional and physical maturity among the student population. Students are seeking their independence and developing who they are as learners and as humans. Mrs. Butler served as a leader and mentor for new middle school counselors in Gwinnett County Public Schools, acclimating them to county protocols and best practices. She was named the 2022 GCPS Middle School Counselor of the Year, an honor that she attributed to her collaborative and supportive counseling partners, teachers and administration.

 

She now works with the youngest of school-aged children - Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders - at Freeman’s Mill Elementary School in Gwinnett County. She continues to serve as a leader on an Emergency Response Team, one of nine teams who are called out to county schools to support grieving students following a crisis in their school community. When she isn’t working, she enjoys collecting seashells, DIY house projects, letter writing, theater, hiking, sewing and crafting, baking, and traveling. 

 

Mrs. Butler is a nurturer and a giver. She nurtures her relationships with family, friends and colleagues. And, she enjoys giving her time to people and causes that are close to her heart.