About Nina
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Nina Teff Butler area board of School directors |
I've have been a part of the Butler community for 14.5 years now, and I have served two terms on the Butler Area Board of School Directors. During my first term from 2015-2019, I served as President of the Butler Area Board of School Directors. I am finishing up my second term currently from December 2021 to December of 2025. Thank you for the opportunity that I have had to serve in this capacity for two terms. I really love the small town feel of the Butler area, and I am grateful to the community for welcoming me and my family years ago. Although, I am not from here originally, we chose to make Butler our home base to raise our kids and therefore, I am very invested in the future of the School District and of the community. It has truly been exciting to work in a volunteer capacity for the betterment of students and staff in our District.
Here is a bit of background on me personally:
I grew up in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. I was raised by a single mother and grew up surrounded by extended family. I attended public school in Jefferson Parish (county) from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Attending Mardi Gras parades and eating seafood are things that I miss still today -- but I do not miss the humidity. And, thanks PA for the 4 seasons. I love them! I attended Colorado School of Mines (an engineering and sciences college) for four years and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering and a minor in Economics. My college education was funded by loans, grants, and academic scholarships. My husband and I got married a couple years out of college (met in college). We will be married 25 years this fall.
We are fortunate to have three healthy children who attended schools in BASD with our youngest graduating in June 2025.
After college, I began working for Shell Exploration and Production Company as a Production Engineer, and I spent 16 years working for the company on multi-million dollar oil and gas fields. I worked 7 years in New Orleans, Louisiana; almost 5 years in Houston, TX; and almost 4 years in Warrendale/Sewickley, PA. I was fortunate to work on many challenging projects with talented individuals, and my favorite time with the company is when I worked on and supported offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms. The majority of my work was spent optimizing and improving well development, well production, and work processes. Essentially, my entire career was spent finding optimal solutions to complex problems. In April of 2014, I made the decision to stop working as a Production Engineer to spend more time with my children while they were young and growing up.
That segued right into the fall of 2014. I got more involved in the Butler Area School District by attending School Board meetings and analyzing information regarding the consolidation. I later ran for School Board in Spring of 2015. Thankfully, I was elected, and I began my tenure on the School Board in December 2015. My focus while on the Board has been on improvements to the education of students, improvements in management of the District, and improvements in staff empowerment and community engagement. I led the district and community through crisis back in 2017, and then led the School Board to hiring our current Superintendent, Dr. Brian White. Having served two terms, I understand the financial aspects, logistical aspects, educational aspects, athletic aspects, and community-driven items that impact the School District. Take a look at the home page to see the many improvements that have happened over the last several years.
In my time on the Board, I have demonstrated my analytical skillset , an outside perspective, a desire to help, a motivation to dig into details, and a willingness to listen. I want the youth of our community to recognize that they have potential, and I want the District to provide the tools for those children to be able to realize that potential. Also, it is important that our staff are working in a collaborative environment and given training and tools to do their jobs well. It is imperative that we provide a quality education for students in the District while keeping abreast of the financial constraints of the District. Taxpayer dollars need to be spent wisely. I am very excited for the future at Butler. We have chartered a new course and are moving in the right direction. I want to continue to serve on the Board to help navigate the way with students, staff, families, and community partners.
Here is a bit of background on me personally:
I grew up in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. I was raised by a single mother and grew up surrounded by extended family. I attended public school in Jefferson Parish (county) from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Attending Mardi Gras parades and eating seafood are things that I miss still today -- but I do not miss the humidity. And, thanks PA for the 4 seasons. I love them! I attended Colorado School of Mines (an engineering and sciences college) for four years and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering and a minor in Economics. My college education was funded by loans, grants, and academic scholarships. My husband and I got married a couple years out of college (met in college). We will be married 25 years this fall.
We are fortunate to have three healthy children who attended schools in BASD with our youngest graduating in June 2025.
After college, I began working for Shell Exploration and Production Company as a Production Engineer, and I spent 16 years working for the company on multi-million dollar oil and gas fields. I worked 7 years in New Orleans, Louisiana; almost 5 years in Houston, TX; and almost 4 years in Warrendale/Sewickley, PA. I was fortunate to work on many challenging projects with talented individuals, and my favorite time with the company is when I worked on and supported offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms. The majority of my work was spent optimizing and improving well development, well production, and work processes. Essentially, my entire career was spent finding optimal solutions to complex problems. In April of 2014, I made the decision to stop working as a Production Engineer to spend more time with my children while they were young and growing up.
That segued right into the fall of 2014. I got more involved in the Butler Area School District by attending School Board meetings and analyzing information regarding the consolidation. I later ran for School Board in Spring of 2015. Thankfully, I was elected, and I began my tenure on the School Board in December 2015. My focus while on the Board has been on improvements to the education of students, improvements in management of the District, and improvements in staff empowerment and community engagement. I led the district and community through crisis back in 2017, and then led the School Board to hiring our current Superintendent, Dr. Brian White. Having served two terms, I understand the financial aspects, logistical aspects, educational aspects, athletic aspects, and community-driven items that impact the School District. Take a look at the home page to see the many improvements that have happened over the last several years.
In my time on the Board, I have demonstrated my analytical skillset , an outside perspective, a desire to help, a motivation to dig into details, and a willingness to listen. I want the youth of our community to recognize that they have potential, and I want the District to provide the tools for those children to be able to realize that potential. Also, it is important that our staff are working in a collaborative environment and given training and tools to do their jobs well. It is imperative that we provide a quality education for students in the District while keeping abreast of the financial constraints of the District. Taxpayer dollars need to be spent wisely. I am very excited for the future at Butler. We have chartered a new course and are moving in the right direction. I want to continue to serve on the Board to help navigate the way with students, staff, families, and community partners.