Phil Butterfield completed post-graduate work at the University of Calgary, leading to a Master of Arts degree (2002) in Educational Leadership and a Doctor of Education degree (2013) with a research focus on instructional leadership practice.

Phil Butterfield retired as principal of Connect Charter School in June 2022 after 32 years in public education in British Columbia and Alberta, the last 18 years at Connect. Early on in his career, Phil recognized the value of outdoor education in childhood and adolescent development. Seeking opportunities to teach, learn, and lead outside the walls of a classroom dovetailed with the concepts of inquiry, place-based learning, and resiliency development that are predominant within Phil’s overarching approach to education.