Outstanding Alumni – Corey Dortch (PhD 2011)

Betz Kerley

Corey Dortch likes to live his life at the speed of light. Even as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, his schedule was jam-packed and his accomplishments were many. He was a member of the Arch Society, the Sphinx Club, and the Blue Key Honor Society and was the recipient of the Tucker Dorsey Memorial Award. He was also one of the two student representatives on the Leadership Advisory Board.

After graduation, Dortch continued his studies at UGA and received his Master of Education in College Student Affairs Administration. He had secured a position at Emory University when he decided to pursue his PhD at the Institute. He thought back to those who had helped him along the way and he wanted to do the same. “My sole purpose for going into higher education was to have an impact on students,” shares Dortch.

Working full time in Atlanta while attending the Institute in Athens was not something Dortch would recommend to students but with his usual style and tenacity, he succeeded and received his PhD in 2011.

In 2012, Dortch was named a member of the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under Forty list of alumni representing the best of UGA graduates. As senior associate director, MBA Program, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, this IHE alumnus seems to accomplish more in a day than most of us do in a week. “My days range from working with faculty; attending meetings with admissions, career management, and marketing teams; and working with student leaders from our clubs and organizations,” says Dortch. “In addition, I am on a number of university committees that require my time and attention.”

Dortch shared that his roles at Emory have changed and evolved over time. He has developed various programs that assist MBA students in their studies and credits his IHE education in helping him implement these programs. Dortch has also led trips to Japan, India and Brazil as part of the international mid-semester module. His involvement in the Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy (GALA) meant spending four weeks in the British Virgin Islands where students learned leadership through sailing.

Dortch reflected on his time at the Institute and stressed to students to “take full advantage of all that the IHE has to offer – especially the incredibly gifted faculty! I would tell them to build relationships with the faculty and with all of the people. You never know when you are going to cross paths again.”

Life at the speed of light can be fast-paced, hectic but also very rewarding. Corey Dortch wouldn’t have his life any other way.