Kimberly Ballard-Washington is the new president of Savannah State University in Georgis. She has served as interim president since July 2019.
Savannah State University enrolls about 3,500 undergraduate students and nearly 200 graduate students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 80 percent of the undergraduate student body at the historically Black university.
“I have long admired and now love Savannah State University,” President Ballard-Washington said. “For almost two years, I have had the privilege of leading one of the most historic and influential institutions in our state on a temporary basis. I am honored to now have the opportunity to continue to lead the University into the next phase of its future. The students, faculty, staff, alumni as well as the Savannah community have rallied around our success, which has created an incredible momentum toward helping propel Savannah State into its future. I look forward to continuing to build relationships within the Savannah State community as we are united for our students’ success.”
Before being named interim president, Ballard-Washington was associate vice chancellor for legal affairs for the University System of Georgia. She is the former associate director of legal affairs for the flagship campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. Earlier, Ballard Washington was assistant to the president for legal affairs and director of equal opportunity programs at Valdosta State University in Georgia. She has previously served as interim president at Fort Valley State University and Albany State University, both in Georgia.
Ballard-Washington is a native of Montezuma, Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia and a law degree at Texas Southern University in Houston.
