Morris College names Sewell its 11th president

STAFF REPORT
Morris College Board of Trustees in Sumter has named Said Sewell, Ph.D., CFRM, as its 11th president with his presidency beginning on July 1.
According to a news release, "The Morris College Board of Trustees, chaired by Dr. Phillip M. Baldwin, along with the greater Sumter community are excited about the possibilities Dr. Sewell brings. The Board of Trustees stands behind Dr. Sewell as he transitions into his role as the 11th President of Morris College. The Board wish to thank the Baptist E&M Convention of South Carolina, the students, faculty and staff of Morris College for their support. The Board is also grateful to Morris alumni and donors for their dedication to Morris College, and working together we will build a greater Morris."
Sewell is the current president and managing partner for The Empowerment Group, a consulting firm that provides educational services to a broad network of higher educational institutions. He also serves as director/chief academic, research and student affairs officer to the Atlanta University Center Consortium Inc., which is comprised of Morehouse College and Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse School of Medicine.
Before serving at the consortium, he was vice president for student affairs at Morehouse College. He has also served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Missouri, assistant provost for academic affairs and dean of Undergraduate Studies at Kent State University, executive director of the Academic Success Center at the Fort Valley State University, interim department head at the University of West Georgia and founding director of the Center for African-American Males: Research, Success, and Leadership Inc. Sewell has held tenured faculty appointments at Lincoln University, Fort Valley State University and the University of West Georgia.
“I am humbled to stand on the shoulders of the predecessors who have gone before me. As their successor, I accept the torch to sustain and grow Morris at any cost,” said Sewell in the release. “I am, also, honored to serve on behalf of the Board of Trustees of Morris College, along with joining the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community in working collaboratively to support student success, grow enrollment, raise financial support, and enhance academic programs. The idea of returning Morris to the ranks of the nation's premier HBCUs invigorates me.”
Sewell, a native of Houston, Texas, graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He earned a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy from the Honorable Barbara Jordan-Honorable Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University and a Ph.D. from Clark Atlanta University in Political Science. Sewell also completed Indiana University's Lilly School of Philanthropy's Certificate of Fund Raising Management, Clark Atlanta University’s Executive Leadership Institute, Harvard University's Graduate School of Education's Institute for Educational Management, Harvard University's Divinity School's Leadership Development Institute, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Millennium Leadership Institute and the Higher Education Leadership Foundation's Leadership Institute.
An ordained Baptist minister, Sewell is a member of Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. He serves on several public and nonprofit boards, including the Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the National Association of Collaborative Leadership, Georgia State University’s Rialto Performing Arts Center and the Center for African American Males.