AGB Assists Savannah State University with President Search
March 21, 2025 – Washington, D.C.-based recruitment firm AGB Search, which specializes in higher education leadership assignments, has helped recruit Jermaine Whirl as the new president of Savannah State University (SSU). His appointment follows being named the sole finalist last week after a rigorous six-month national presidential search. SSU has been led by Cynthia Alexander since July 2023, following the departure of president Kimberly Ballard-Washington. Principal Kim Bobby and executive search consultant Gwendolyn Boyd led the assignment.
“As we welcome Dr. Whirl back into the USG family, we deeply appreciate the steadfast and dedicated leadership of interim president Cynthia Robinson Alexander,” USG chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “Cynthia has laid a strong foundation for Savannah State’s future, one that Dr. Whirl is well-equipped to build upon. He has a clear and strategic vision for Savannah State and its students, staff and faculty, and we’re confident his leadership will usher this historic public HBCU into a new era of growth and prosperity.”
Dr. 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 most recently served as president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a role he has held since November 2020. There, he oversaw a record enrollment of new first-year students and a 20.3% increase in headcount between Fall 2021 and Fall 2024. Skilled at cultivating strategic partnerships for student success, Dr. Whirl has introduced multiple agreements for ATC including partnerships with Augusta University, Piedmont Augusta, the city of Augusta and Amazon.
Before that, Dr. Whirl served as the vice president for learning and workforce development at Greenville Technical College. In addition to his roles at ATC and Greenville Tech, he previously served as dean of Gwinnett Technical College’s School of Business and School of Arts & Design and as a dean at Savannah Technical College. He has taught as a full-time faculty member at two USG institutions: Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State College.
Outside of his academic work, Dr. Whirl is an advisor for many organizations, including as a member of the board of directors for the Warrior Alliance, TD Bank New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board, Queensborough National Bank & Trust, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Inaugural 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board and the Human Capital Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He hi chairman of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, an honorary board member with the Morris Museum of Art and a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta.
“I’m honored and humbled to accept the role of president of Savannah State University,” Dr. Whirl said. “I can’t wait to work with the campus community to build upon SSU’s proud HBCU legacy and advance our priorities of student success, academic excellence, leadership stability and financial sustainability. Through collaboration, innovation and a steadfast commitment to excellence, we’ll create new opportunities, strengthen the university’s impact and position SSU for long-term success.”
Savannah State is the oldest public historically black university in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher education in Savannah. The university is a coeducational institution within the University System of Georgia with 200 full time faculty members and an enrollment of more than 4,800. It offers graduate and undergraduate studies including nationally accredited programs in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.
Serving Colleges and Universities
AGB Search conducts searches for college and university presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, deans, university system heads, and CEOs of coordinating boards and related foundations. The firm was founded by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) in 2010.
Related: AGB Search Assists Linfield University with the Recruitment of 21st President
Dr. Bobby has had a distinguished career in the field of higher education prior to joining AGB Search. Her expertise and understanding of meeting the needs of diversity and inclusion have enabled her to identify and place diverse talent in higher education institutions and serve as the senior advisor for justice, equity, and inclusion for AGB. Dr. Bobby has conducted various executive searches at the president, provost, chief diversity officers/DEI, and vice president level. Her representative executive searches include:
- California State University – East Bay – university diversity officer.
- Gonzaga University – provost.
- Lamar Institute of Technology – president.
- Valencia College – president.
- University of Wisconsin System – associate vice president for equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Foothill-De Anza Community College District – chancellor.
Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Bobby served as the director of the Inclusive Excellence Group (IEG) at the American Council on Education (ACE). She also provided leadership and oversight for the ACE Women’s Network, a consortium of 57 higher education institutions across the United States devoted to advancing women leaders, and the Moving the Needle: Advancing Women Leaders initiative a multi-association collaboration that designed to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions in higher education through programs, research, and partnerships.
AGB Search Recruits 22nd President for Seton Hall University
AGB Search has assisted in the recruitment of Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly as the 22nd president of Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. “There is no one better suited to leading the university at this moment — a time when Seton Hall stands at the cusp of extraordinary progress,” said Hank D’Alessandro, chair of the board of regents and the presidential search committee. “Monsignor Reilly was the ideal choice. He possesses a deep faith in god and a demonstrable commitment to nurturing our students to greatness as we advance among the nation’s foremost Catholic universities.”
Dr. Boyd joined AGB Search in 2017 as an executive search consultant. She is an engineer and a prominent advocate of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Dr. Boyd is described as a dynamic and relevant leader, a prolific motivational speaker, and a powerful preacher. Since joining the firm she has assisted in senior leadership searches for:
- Edward Waters University (FL) – president.
- Chicago State University – president.
- Tougaloo College (MS) – president.
Dr. Boyd’s professional career of more than three decades at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics laboratory was highlighted by exemplary leadership and dedicated services as part of engineering teams. She was a direct report to the President of Johns Hopkins University serving as chair of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council from 2001-2014. Dr. Boyd returned to her alma mater, Alabama State University, in 2014 to serve for three years as the 14th and first female president of ASU.
Related: AGB Search Helps the University of Colorado Denver Fill Chancellor Role
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
