Dr. Jermaine Whirl is the 15th President of Savannah State University, Georgia’s oldest public Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
Whirl, an Aspen Fellow, most recently served as president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a role he held since November 2020 – March 2025. Whirl’s career includes nearly 20 years of service as a faculty member and administrative leader at public colleges and universities in his home state of South Carolina and in Georgia. He previously worked at several institutions, including Greenville Technical College (GTC), Savannah Technical College (STC), Georgia Southern University (GSU) and East Georgia State University (EGSU).
He has received many awards for his work, including GSU’s 2024 George and Lucy Armstrong Alumni Award, the Leadership Award from the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, the Paragon Award for new presidents from Phi Theta Kappa and the Soul Awakening Award of Excellence from Perry Broadcasting of Augusta. Whirl is a member of the Georgia Titan 100 2025 Hall of Fame class. Georgia Trend also recognized him as a Notable Georgian honoree in 2025 and listed him on its 2024 40 Under 40 list of the state’s most successful and civic-minded people under age 40.