Butler Benton enters his second season as the Director of Student-Athlete Enrichment at the University of New Orleans. In this role he will be responsible for the academic enhancement, life skills, career development, community outreach, character and leadership development for all 14 sponsored sports programs.

During his tenure with the Privateers, Benton has initiated several personal growth programs including a spring series of professional development seminars. Also under his careful watch, both the men's and women's basketball teams have posted their highest GPAs in recent memory.

Benton is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he earned a scholarship and was a member of the football team from 2004-08. While at Cincinnati, Benton was also a member of the Finance Club, and received all Big East honors on the field, and in the classroom.

Since college, Benton has gone on to found the Think Y Organization in Detroit, which focuses on giving back and mentoring underprivileged Detroit youth. Since 2010, Benton has been responsible organizing afterschool programs, coordinating annual football camps, and securing corporate sponsorship for the organization.

Benton has had two stops at universities before coming to New Orleans. In June 2011, Benton was tabbed as an internal operations assistant at Kent State. While there, Benton worked with multiple areas in the athletic department including marketing, group ticket sales, fundraising, and community service. He also taught two classes, a business sales class and a physical education course.

From there, Benton went to Notre Dame where he was an assistant for player development and personnel for the football team. Benton was the liaison between football and student welfare and development, career services, financial aid, and academic services. He also coached summer camps to identify and evaluate recruits.

A native of Detroit, Benton holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Cincinnati and obtained his Master’s in Foundations, Leadership, and Administration with a 3.98 GPA from Kent State.