Kelly Butler Coe Named Vice President for Communication

At the fall Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meeting, Kelly Butler Coe was named vice president for Communication. 

Despite the fact she was born into a missionary family in Hong Kong, she has deep roots in the Columbia Union.  

“When I was in middle school and academy, I remember grabbing my parents' copy of the Visitor and looking for pictures of my friends in the Chesapeake Conference and Highland View Academy newsletters,” says Coe. “I look forward to my Grampie Butler's reaction when I meet him in heaven and tell him that I followed in his footsteps—ministering and serving in the Columbia Union territory.” 

Albert “Grampie” Butler, who worked at the Chesapeake and New Jersey conferences, helped to establish the Columbia Union Revolving Fund (CURF); Adventist HealthCare’s Shady Grove Hospital in Gaithersburg, Md.; Hackettstown Hospital in New Jersey; and Kettering Health in Ohio.  

But those roots extend well beyond her grandfather. 

Coe’s parents, Hal and Carole Butler, were missionaries in Hong Kong and Singapore. Her grandma, Lois Butler, managed Potomac Conference’s Adventist Book Center for some 20 years. Her grandfather-in-law, Wally Coe, served as Columbia Union president, and her mother-in-law, Charlotte McClure, was managing editor of the Visitor for 15 years. 

Coe attended Spencerville Adventist Academy (Md.), and graduated from Highland View Academy in Hagerstown, Md., and Andrews University (Mich.). She has worked in the Communication Department since 2000, serving as the graphic designer and art director for the union and the Columbia Union Visitor. In September 2020, Coe was promoted to associate director of Communication, and in 2022, she was promoted to the director of Communication and editor of the Visitor. She also serves as project coordinator, production director, brand identity manager, webmaster for the union. 

Coe says her favorite part of the job is “strategizing with colleagues, exploring ways to implement new technologies and art directing photo shoots.” 

Dave Weigley, Columbia Union president, says, “For 20-plus years, Kelly Coe has demonstrated very creative graphic and art direction skills—she is the one that makes the Visitor look so good. [In her managerial role] Kelly is a savvy, insightful and gifted communicator. She is a very good choice. We will continue to be blessed by her contributions and dedication in her new role.” 

Coe says she is most proud that the Communication team “continuously works to use the latest methods of delivering the news to engage the varying age groups within its membership, and the department’s award-winning 2014 Columbia Union Calendar!” 

Coe resides in Maryland with her husband, Michael.