Sorrell grew up in Chicago, the son of a social worker and the owner of a South Side barbecue restaurant. Sorrell attended St. Ignatius College Prep.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College, and a master's degree (M.A. in Public Policy) and law degree from Duke University.[2] His doctorate in education is from the University of Pennsylvania.[3][4]
Sorrell worked for numerous Dallas law firms after earning his law degree.[5] Sorrell also worked as a special assistant in the executive office of the president during the Clinton administration, and has also worked as a public affairs consultant. After the president of Paul Quinn College left the college in 2001, Sorrell sought the position, but instead earned a spot on the college's board. Sorrell became the president of Paul Quinn College in 2007.[2] Under Sorrell, Paul Quinn College founded the We Over Me Farm on the college's former football field.[6] The farm is part of Sorrell's larger goal of creating a "new urban college model" and addressing what Sorrell sees as a food desert in the region around Paul Quinn College.[7]
