Dr. Michael J. Sorrell is the longest-serving President in the 150 - year history of Paul Quinn College. During his 15 years of leadership, Paul Quinn has become nationally celebrated for its ability to expand the boundaries of higher education to better serve the needs of under-resourced communities and their students. 

Included among Paul Quinn’s numerous accomplishments during President Sorrell’s tenure are the following: improving graduation rates by more than 25%; reducing student loan debt by $30,0000; building the first new buildings on campus in 50 years; renovating every building on campus; creating the Urban Work College Model; winning the HBCU of the Year, HBCU Student Government Association of the Year, and HBCU Business Program of the Year awards; partnering with PepsiCo to transform the football field into the WE over Me Farm; and establishing all institutional fundraising records.

Dr. Sorrell is one of the most celebrated college presidents in America.  Among the honors that he has received are the following: the President George W. Bush Institute’s Trailblazer Citation; being named him one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine; winning Education Dive’s Higher Education’s President of the Year award; being the only three-time recipient of the HBCU Male President of the Year Award; and having been listed by Time Magazine as one of the “31 People Changing the South”. However, his most prized honor is having been named Father of the Year in the City of Dallas.

Michael received his J.D. and M.A. in Public Policy from Duke University and his Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  Michael was a recipient of a Sloan Foundation Graduate Fellowship, which funded his studies at both Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (as a graduate fellow) and Duke University.  He graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Government. 

President Sorrell serves as the chair of the Board of Governors for the Dallas Foundation and is a member of the Executive Committees of the Board of Trustees for both the Hockaday School and College Track. He is a trustee for the American Council of Education, Duke University’s School of Law, and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.  Michael is also a member of the advisory boards of GSV, Guild, Handshake, and Amegy Bank. He is a corporate director for Mainstay. 

President Sorrell is married to the former Natalie Jenkins.  Natalie is an alumna of Spelman College and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  They have two children, Michael Augustus and Sage Louise-Sinclair.