Deborah Butler, President

Deborah Butler was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. The daughter of founding developer S. Clark Butler, she joined her father in the family business in the early 1980s. Over the years, Deborah has held nearly every role within the organization, gaining hands-on experience in marketing, leasing, design, finance, and development.

Together, Deborah and her father developed and managed several large multifamily residential projects in Gainesville, as well as Butler Plaza, a one-million-square-foot regional retail center. Following her father’s passing in 2008, Deborah launched a new era of growth and innovation that reflected her vision for the Butler properties. She led the strategic relocation of big-box retailers from the premium Archer Road frontage to an adjacent 167-acre site, creating Butler North, now a fully leased power center with its own primary thoroughfare. This move paved the way for the development of Butler Town Center, the region’s first open-air retail lifestyle center encompassing 350,000 square feet. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Emory University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida, and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She has also spent significant time traveling and studying in Europe.

An active community leader, Deborah is involved in numerous organizations and causes. She is a Trustee member of the American Saddlebred Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, reflecting her passion for showing and breeding American Saddlebred horses. Her civic leadership roles have included service on the Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board, the Gainesville Chamber Council of Economic Development, two terms as President of the UF Center for the Performing Arts, and President of the Gainesville Apartment Association. Deborah is an active member of the Builders Association of North Central Florida (BANCF), and the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.

Terence O'Connell, Chief Financial Officer

Terence O’Connell joined Butler Enterprises in 2025 as their Chief Financial Officer. Terence was most recently the founder and CEO of Acorn Delivery, a tech startup developing a last mile delivery solution for grocery e-commerce. Prior to Acorn, Terence spent seven years as Vice President of Investments at CCM Group, a family office based in Washington, DC where he managed real estate investments and developments across the Southeast United States including several major retail projects in Florida. Prior to CCM, Terence spent five years as Associate Director at MetLife Real Estate Investors in Washington, DC where he was involved in over $2 billion of real estate transactions. He began his career at Deloitte where he worked in the external audit and financial advisory practices. Terence is a CFA Charterholder and holds an inactive CPA license. Terence holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.  

Elizabeth Knoke, Director of Lease Administration

Elizabeth joined Butler Enterprises in 2024 as the Director of Lease Administration. Elizabeth was most recently the Director of Commercial Property Management of Bear Property Management in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where she managed a portfolio consisting of 1.6 million square feet of office, retail, medical and industrial buildings in seven states for thirteen years. Prior to Bear, Elizabeth was a Closer for Knight Barry Title Group, where she was a liaison for real estate purchase and refinance transactions. Elizabeth began her career for another division of the Bear Real Estate Group, Bear Realty, in various roles including accounting and real estate sales. Elizabeth holds active Real Estate Broker licenses in Wisconsin & Illinois. Elizabeth received her Associates Degree in Accounting from Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.