Rev. Dr. Torin T. Sanders is a husband, a father, and a preacher of the gospel. A native of New York City, Dr. Sanders attended Howard University on a full, four-year academic scholarship. While at Howard, he was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, and graduated magna cum laude. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in social work from Tulane University. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Southern University at New Orleans. He has been the pastor of The Sixth Baptist Church, founded in 1858, for over 23 years.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Dr. Sanders was a family preservation therapist and the supervisor of the parent-child center at Kingsley House. He was the coordinator of the Louis Armstrong Manhood Development Program at Milne Boys Home, the director of the Loss and Survival Team at Children’s Bureau, and Vice-President at Volunteers of America of Southeast Louisiana.
During his career, Dr. Sanders has become a well-known and respected civic leader. In 2004, he was elected to the Orleans Parish School Board where he twice served as President. Additionally, Dr. Sanders served as President of the St. Thomas Irish Channel Consortium. Currently, he serves as Chair of the New Orleans Council on Aging, Chair of the New Orleans Children & Youth Planning Board, and Co-Chair of the Childhood Trauma Task Force. As a leader with the Jeremiah Group, Dr. Sanders fought for Medicaid Expansion and to increase voting in the African-American community. With the Isaiah Institute, Dr. Sanders worked to help young adult men enter the construction industry post-Katrina. At Southern University, he has served as a member of the Faculty Senate. Dr. Sanders is the author of chapter five in Called to Sankofa: Leading in, through and beyond disaster, published by Peter Lang Publishing. The chapter is entitled “Orleans Parish School Board Politics and Policy Post-Katrina”.
Dr. Sanders is the recipient of numerous awards from organizations including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Victims & Citizens against Crime, the National Association of Black Social Workers, Gambit 40 under 40, the Samuel Dewitt Proctor award from Rainbow/PUSH, and from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, of which he is a proud member. He is also a member of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
Dr. Sanders is blessed to be married to the former Dana Williams and to have two adult sons, Malik and Myles.
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