8. Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Ph.D.

When Rev. Calvin O. Butts III takes the pulpit, people listen. Dubbed “the anti-Sharpton” by New York magazine, he is one of Long Island’s most outspoken leaders, and is also the pastor at Harlem’s famous Abyssinian Baptist Church. The president of one of the most culturally diverse student populations in the Northeast recently made headlines, after evicting 87 residential students with poor grades from the school’s dormitories. Butts has used his position to address important issues in the black community, and with his large following has become one of the most important figures on the Island and in the nation. Butts broke ranks with most black leaders by endorsing Hillary Clinton for president in January. It shows Butts is not afraid to follow his heart.