Jimmy Whitley

Jimmy Whitley is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s director of information technology (IT) operations and support. He leads the implementation and support of the organization’s IT system.

Whitley has more than 20 years of experience managing technical operations and data center management teams. He has served as a consultant to mobile phone and cloud computing companies, where he has managed teams and implemented IT solutions to achieve greater efficiency, streamline workflows and improve customer satisfaction.

At TracFone/Verizon Inc., he coordinated the consolidation of all monitoring tools into a unified display, also known as a “Single Pane of Glass,” or SPOG. The project enhanced their alert system through the integration of Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, or AIOps, tools. His leadership was integral in transitioning their operations from a traditional service desk to the advanced ServiceNow platform, executing a sophisticated IT Service Management, or ITSM, solution working with consultants and internal IT staff.

Earlier, at Veritiv Corporation, he served as senior IT manager for the Atlanta-based packaging company. He led a team of 12 systems engineers responsible for the data management and integration of 500 servers supporting 170 facilities worldwide.

Whitley attended the Nashville State Community College and Tennessee State University computer science programs. He holds numerous IT certifications, including Data Center Infrastructure Expert, Data Center Engineering Specialist, Data Center Operations Manager, ITIL v3, and AXELOS Global Best Practice.