Rev. Dwylene (Dwi-leen) Butler is a native of Stratford, Connecticut. She currently lives in Richmond, Virginia. Dwylene graduated from Virginia Union University where she earned the Bachelor of Social Work degree, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology where she earned the Master of Divinity Degree as a Kern Scholar, and Union Presbyterian School of Christian Education where she earned a Master of Theology degree and Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon was her advisor. 

Rev. Butler is finishing up her second year as a Doctor of Ministry student on UPSem’s Charlotte campus. With her final project, she hopes to create a framework for developing culturally relevant discipleship curriculum. She also has the privilege of working as the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership as the Program Associate.

Rev. Butler was licensed to preach while a senior in high school. She was ordained at the First African Baptist Church where she served as the Minister of Youth & Christian Education. Currently, Dwylene is the Executive Minister of the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. In this role, she handles the day-to-day church business operations, coordinates outreach efforts, leads the Praise Dance Ministries, and serves as the chairperson of the Holistic Hurt, Wholistic Healing Conference which calls the church to tackle taboo topics. The conference, which was formed after earning her Master of Theology degree, has offered space to dialogue and develop action plans to deal with things such as Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, Mental Illness, Financial Responsibility, Sexuality, and Rethinking Theology. 

Rev. Butler believes that God can't be put in a box, and she has made it her ministry mandate to help others see God in new and different ways. In that way, she believes she is doing the work her soul must have.