The University of Utah announced today that James Lee Sorenson has been appointed to the university’s Board of Trustees. This news is particularly exciting to the David Eccles School of Business, as Sorenson is a former member of its international board of advisors and has contributed many resources to the expansion of the school.
“As Utah’s flagship institution of higher learning, this great university has a major impact not only on the city and state I choose to call home, but in the nation and the world,” Sorenson said. “I am honored to serve on the Board of Trustees for my alma mater, alongside people who have truly devoted their lives to improving their communities and the lives of their fellow human beings.”
In 2013, Sorenson gifted $13 million to the David Eccles School of Business to develop the James Lee Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center, now knows as the Sorenson Impact Center. This center provides business students with opportunities to collaborate with governments, nonprofits, private funders and social enterprises to propel beneficial social impact. Through Sorenson’s generous donations of funds and time, the center has become Utah’s state-of-the-art applied academic institution steeped in data-driven strategies that offers students profound experience working across sectors of policy and finance to improve challenging social problems. Sorenson continues to play an active role in directing the center’s key objectives and mentoring student participants.
Because of the center and other contributions, the David Eccles School of Business has great appreciation for Sorenson and his efforts to encourage students to become powerful leaders and entrepreneurs who use their garnered business acumen to help the world become a better place.
“Jim is a friend to the Eccles School,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “We appreciate all he’s done and continues to do to enrich the experience of our students. He is a great addition to the U’s Board of Trustees.”
Sorenson’s legacy is known across Utah, as he has founded many companies in the Beehive State — from technology to life sciences to real estate to private equity investment firms — that have added thousands of prime employment opportunities to Utah’s economy. Sorenson founded Sorenson Communications, catalyzed from his development of digital video compression and video relay services (VRS) while still a student at the University of Utah. He also co-founded Sorenson Capital, Utah’s leading mid-market private equity firm.
Along with many successful business ventures, Sorenson has committed much of his career to philanthropic work. He has helped launch or grow numerous charitable organizations and focuses on fostering self-sufficiency for underserved populations. Among his leadership positions at humanitarian organizations, Sorenson was the chairman of Village Capital, a nonprofit organization building enterprises designed to reform social issues.
Read the U’s announcement in the @theU newsroom.