ABOUT ME
MY STORYHi, I’m Sherrell
I grew up in a single-parent household as an inner-city kid in Seattle’s south-end neighborhood. My grandfather, who hopped the bus from Detroit to Seattle in the 60s to work at Boeing for $2.38 cents an hour, bought me my first computer when I turned 8.
At the age of 14, I learned how to code and landed my first of many summer internships at Microsoft. Those early years were formidable in helping me know how to create something from nothing.
I’ve worked for some of the country’s leading brands, including Uber, Google Fiber, Tresata, and more.
My company, The Plug, is one of the most distinct subscription-based digital news and insights platforms connecting business leaders to the Black innovation trends shaping the future of work and business.
Today, I speak at and lead conversations across the country for Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups on activating the business environment for inclusive growth and citizenship.
PROFESSIONAL BIOSherrell Dorsey is an award-winning data journalist, entrepreneur, speaker, and author teaching the world to redefine who gets to create and participate in the future.
She founded The Plug in 2016, the first Black data-driven tech news publication to syndicate on the Bloomberg Terminal, which was acquired in 2023 by ImpactAlpha.
As the TED Tech podcast host, Sherrell provides her in-depth analysis and commentary on technologies changing society, and how these advancements can provide opportunities for more underserved Americans to participate in an increasingly automated and digital world.
Her first book, Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us, published by Wiley in 2021, connects everyday people and communities to opportunities and resources to upskill or retrain for in-demand careers both present and future so that they do not get left behind in the sweeping changes technology is bringing across industries.
She has graced the stages as a keynote speaker, host, and moderator at some of the leading companies in the world, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Accenture, Bloomreach, Cisco, and others.
Her work has been featured in VICE, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, The Information, Columbia Journalism Review, and more.
She earned her stripes working for companies like Uber and Google Fiber. She holds a Master's degree in data journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in international trade and marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology.