GSSM President Danny Dorsel Named to B2B: Pee Dee Business 50 Most Influential List
February 25, 2026
HARTSVILLE, S.C. (Feb. 25, 2026) ─ Danny Dorsel, president of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM), has been named to B2B: Pee Dee Business magazine’s 50 Most Influential People for 2026.
The inaugural list recognizes leaders across the Pee Dee region who are making a significant impact in education, business, health care, government, nonprofit organizations and industry. Honorees were selected through staff research and community nominations.
Dorsel, a member of GSSM’s first graduating class in 1990, returned to his alma mater in 2021 to serve as president after previously holding the role of senior vice president for residential. He previously served as principal of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Georgia.
He holds degrees from the University of South Carolina, the University of Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, and has served on the board of the National Consortium of STEM Schools as president.
“GSSM is an extraordinary place to learn and to work. Our mission is simply to find South Carolina’s most talented and motivated students and move them forward. Through our residential and online programs, statewide STEM outreach, teacher development initiatives, and partnerships with industry and higher education, GSSM serves as a catalyst for innovation and opportunity in the Pee Dee as well as across the state. While I am grateful to be receiving this unique recognition, it really belongs to GSSM, our students, and employees.”
Since becoming president, Dorsel has led GSSM’s continued growth as a statewide leader in specialized STEM education, strengthening partnerships, expanding outreach programs and advancing opportunities for students and educators across South Carolina. GSSM has been recognized as the No. 1 public high school in South Carolina and No. 4 public high school nationally by Niche.
The 50 Most Influential People list appears in the January-February 2026 issue of B2B: Pee Dee Business.
More information about GSSM is available at scgssm.org.