Naran E. Butler-Houck is a native of Newtonville, New Jersey and is a product of both public school and Christian education. During his upbringing, family values were instilled and the emphasis on hard work, education and collective achievement were at the heart of everyday living. Though most of Naran’s childhood was spent in New Jersey during the school months, every summer from the age of three to thirteen, he spent his summer months in Sumter, South Carolina, where he worked on his grandfather’s animal farm and corn fields, and assisted other family members when required. When Naran was old enough to obtain working papers, he began to appreciate the value of dedicated work ethics and began his first paying job picking and packing blueberries in Hammonton, New Jersey. Back then, he would have never imagined his purpose in life was to become a Social Worker, but as each life experience built upon the next, his calling to the profession had already begun because of the compassion his experiences had helped to shape.

In 1994, Naran graduated from Pine Forge Academy, located in Pine Forge, Pennsylvania. This is one of the only existing historically black boarding academies in the nation. The school is a co-educational Seventh-Day Adventist school whose principles are built upon Christian values, while preparing students "spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially for service to God and man." After leaving school, Naran began his college education at Rutgers University-Livingston College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  In 1998, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in both Psychology and in Africana Studies.  Following his undergraduate studies, Naran continued his education at University of Pennsylvania-School of Social Work, where he obtained his Master of Social Work degree in 2001. 

Naran is currently a School Social Worker within Philadelphia, working with high school students.  Since his postgraduate education, Naran has also worked intimately within the child welfare and social welfare sectors, while serving in capacities of program coordinator, group facilitator, behavioral specialist, mentor and youth supervisor. His clientele has included pregnant and parenting women, students ranging from pre-school to high school, urban youths, families and children who are at risk of exploitation, abuse, and maltreatment and other at-risk populations.  In addition to his membership with The Black Men At Penn School of Social Work, Inc., other affiliations include the National Association of Social Workers, National Association of Black Social Workers, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a host of other community initiatives within the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey areas.