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Mayor Eric L. Johnson

Eric L. Johnson is the 60th Mayor of Dallas, Texas. First elected in June 2019, he was re-
elected in May 2023 with 98.7% of the vote, breaking a 114-year old record for the highest
vote percentage garnered by a mayoral candidate facing any opposition in Dallas history.
Prior to becoming mayor, Johnson served as a member of the Texas House of
Representatives, where he represented the City of Dallas from April 2010 to June 2019.
During his tenure in the Texas Legislature, Johnson served on several legislative
committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, Higher Education, and Natural
Resources. He also served as chairman of the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation. In
addition to his service as Mayor of Dallas, Johnson is also a partner with the international
law firm of Locke Lord LLP.

Johnson was born in Dallas and attended Dallas Independent School District schools
through first grade before earning a scholarship to Greenhill School through the Boys and
Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. He attended Harvard College, where he graduated cum
laude with a degree in History. Johnson also holds a law degree from the University of
Pennsylvania Law School and a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the School of Public
and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is an alumnus of Harvard University’s
John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government
program and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mayor Johnson lives in Dallas with his wife, Nikki, their three children, William, George,
and Lela, and their dog, Penny. He is a member of the Mountain View Church of Christ.

Dr. Michael Sorrell

Dr. Michael J. Sorrell is the longest-serving President in the 151-year history of Paul Quinn
College. During his 16 years of leadership, Paul Quinn has become nationally celebrated
for its ability to reimagine higher education to better serve the needs of today’s students
and their communities.

Included among Paul Quinn’s numerous accomplishments during President Sorrell’s
tenure are the following: improving graduation rates by more than 30%; reducing the
average student loan debt by almost $30,0000; building the first new buildings on campus
in 50 years; creating the Urban Work College Model; demolishing 16 campus buildings;
partnering with PepsiCo to transform the football field into the WE over Me Farm;
creating the College’s first faculty-led study abroad program; and rewriting all
institutional fundraising records.

Michael received his J.D. and M.A. in Public Policy from Duke University and his Ed.D. from
the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in
Government.

President Sorrell is the immediate past chair of the Board of Governors for the Dallas
Foundation and is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
for the Hockaday School. He is a trustee for College Track, 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 Advancing Black Pathways (JPMC), Handshake,
GSV, Guild, 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.

Rebecca Lopez

Rebecca Lopez is the senior crime and justice reporter at WFAA in Dallas, TX. She joined
the station in April of 1998.

She has covered the Dallas Police Department since 2003. Over the years she has broken
some of the biggest stories at the Dallas Police Department including the day DPD
headquarters came under attack by suspect James Boulware. Rebecca has also covered
multiple national stories including the Oklahoma City bombing, the siege at the Branch
Davidian Compound in Waco, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and most recently the
ambush of 5 officers in downtown Dallas.

Chairman T.D. Jakes

Bishop T. D. Jakes is a charismatic leader, visionary, provocative thinker, and entrepreneur
who serves as senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a global humanitarian organization
and 30,000-member church located in Dallas, Texas.

T.D. Jakes’ mission is carried out through four distinct channels: global humanitarian
outreach, inspirational conference series, media and entertainment ventures, and
thought leadership forums.

T.D. Jakes has advised the last three presidents, was a featured speaker at the
inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009, gave remarks at a White House Easter Prayer
Breakfast in 2011, attended the state dinner for African leaders in 2014 and Pope Francis’
2015 White House visit.

Over the years, he has met with leaders on the world stage, including President Rawlings
of Ghana and President Obasanjo of Nigeria. He was a guest of the King of Jordan, King
Abdullah, the President of Trinidad, George Maxwell Richards, and the president of the
Republic of Uganda, Yoweri K. Museveni, among others.

In 2015, Bishop Jakes launched “Conversations with America,” a series of statically based
studies on the issues that impact broad cross-sections of Americans. In 2016, Bishop Jakes
held a live forum to discuss study results on criminal justice, economic reform, national
security and racial polarization with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. The by-invitation only
event drew a crowd of 200 including members of Congress, the White House, journalists,
lobbyists, and others and aired via Facebook Live with an audience reach of exceeding 1
million. The award-winning campaign is now a featured segment on the T.D. Jakes Show
and continues as an ongoing study.

T.D. Jakes taps into a growing global audience who enter his digital-sphere through
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Vimeo, Google+, Snapchat, Periscope
and the T.D. Jakes app to the tune of 10 million total followers.

Celebrating 35 years of marriage, Thomas Dexter and Serita Jakes are parents to five
children and five grandchildren. He credits his own parents as the source of his
perseverance and sense of self-reliance.

After 40 years in ministry, Bishop Jakes continues to be a leading voice of innovation,
inspiration, and influence in Christendom today.