Dr. Butzin is the founding President and Executive Director of the Institute for School Innovation in Tallahassee, Florida. She has been an educator and child advocate for over six decades.  She was a classroom teacher in several elementary schools, including the Florida State University Developmental Research School. In 2008 she was named “Distinguished Educator” by the Florida State University College of Education.

Dr. Butzin has published widely in educational and technology journals. She is the author of Joyful Classrooms in an Age of Accountability: The Project CHILD recipe for success (Phi Delta Kappa, 2005). Her most recent book is Creating Joyful Classrooms: A positive response to testing and accountability in the elementary school (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018). Sally and her daughter Charlotte Butzin Beal are co-authors of Best Buddies Birthdays: The complete guide for homegrown parties for ages 5-10 (Archway Publishing, 2015).

Now retired, Dr. Butzin has remained active in civic and education volunteer work, frequently featured as an opinion writer in The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. She is past Chair of the Board of Trustees for the International Alliance for Invitational Education. She was appointed by the mayor to serve on the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Tallahassee/Leon County Canopy Roads Citizen Advisory Committee. In 2013 she completed a term as commissioner on the Tallahassee/Leon County Status of Women and Girls Commission. Currently she serves as President of the Tallahassee Chapter of the League of Women Voters and Chair of Public Education Committee, as well as a member of the Board of Stewards of the United Church in Tallahassee.