Katy Sorenson papers

Kathryn “Katy” Sorenson (b. 1955) is a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner and consultant on matters pertaining to civil rights, such as women’s and LGBTQ rights. She was the founder, president, and CEO of the Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami – an organization that ran from 2010-2016 - which had the aim of cultivating leaders of excellence in South Florida and simultaneously involving the community in its governance. Sorenson sits on the board of numerous civic committees and boards, such as the Citizens Advisory Committee for Miami-Dade County’s General Obligation Bond program, the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work at Florida International University, the Leroy Collins Institute, ReServe Miami, and more. For her all of her service, she has been the recipient of many honors including winning the first ever Marjory Stoneman Douglas Environmental Award from the Friends of the Everglades, the Miami Dade Cultural Alliance’s “Elected Official of the Year” award, the “Public Official of the Year” from the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Champion for Children Award, the Women of Impact Award, and the Herbert Hoover award as Conservationist of the Year.

Born in Chicago and raised in Milwaukee, Sorenson’s inclination toward civic activism and social justice began at a young age; in 1965 she attended a civil rights demonstration with some family members and this experience profoundly impacted the course of her career. At college, she decided to pursue a major in Social Work and received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; she then obtained her Master’s Degree – also in Social Work – from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Sorenson then went on to hold a number of positions; she was a legislative aide to Illinois State Senator Dawn Clark Netsch; a political consultant; and was the executive director of California Women Lawyers bar association. In 1994, she was first elected to represent District 8 – a large, diverse district of over 170,000 residents – on the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. Known locally for her human rights advocacy and belief in equality, during her tenure as Commissioner she achieved a number of well-remembered feats such as blocking a plan to construct an airport at Homestead Air Reserve Base, which sits between the important environmental heritage sites of the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. She also helped to pass an amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance which guaranteed civil rights to gay and lesbian citizens. From 2002-2004, she held the position of vice chair of the Commission, meanwhile chairing the South Florida Regional Transportation Organization, and sitting on the executive committee of the South Florida Regional Planning Council.

2004 marked a turning point in Sorenson’s life when she was selected to attend Harvard University’s Senior Executive Program in State and Local Government at the Kennedy School of Government; this rigorous program inspired her to create a similar initiative aimed at individuals in South Florida. Having once dreamed of making it to the U.S. Senate herself, she decided to found the GGI in 2010 to propel the dreams of other elected officials and also those with aspirations to run for office; the initiative was supported by former University of Miami President Donna Shalala, UM Vice Provost Bill Green, and Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen. Running for six years and educating eighty-six officials in good leadership and policy making, the core GGI program, “Leaders of Excellence,” was highly successful. In the history of the course, over one hundred volunteer instructors from academia, public service, the media, and the corporate world gave their time share their experience, knowledge, and expertise with the program participants. Faced with the reality that they no longer had enough participants to fill a complete course, however, the GGI was suspended in 2016. As for her future plans and life after the GGI, Sorenson stated, “Dismayed by the erosion of women’s rights, I feel myself returning to my roots and I have started a feminist book club for young women leaders. I want to travel with my husband and family members. I long to spend more time reading, writing and organizing. I will continue with some of my volunteer responsibilities in the community, but I don’t plan to take on new ones. I want to spend less time raising money.” Sorenson currently resides in Pinecrest, FL, alongside her husband of over four decades with whom she has two children, as well as grandchildren.

-Laura Bass
UGrow fellow for the Department of Manuscripts and Archives Management, 2019-2020

Works Cited

Sorenson, Katy. “Katy Sorenson says farewell to the Good Government Initiative.” The Miami Herald, June 21, 2016, https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op- ed/article85128557.html