Jermaine A. Burrell: A Leader for Mobile’s Future
A native son of Mobile, Jermaine A. Burrell has always been driven to uplift others while leading by example. Jermaine’s love for his city and passion for serving his community began at a young age in the Maysville community, where his family taught him the values of hard work, perseverance, and community service. A noted student leader, Jermaine, graduated from Mobile’s Lillie B. Williamson High School before attending Alabama A&M University on Pell Grants. After his first year, Jermaine received an ROTC scholarship, and throughout college, Jermaine continued giving back to his community by mentoring youth with the local Boys & Girls Club and Huntsville City Schools, volunteering with the Huntsville March of Dimes and serving on the steering committee for the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
After graduating cum laude with an electrical engineering degree Jermaine went on to establish a distinguished 25+ year corporate career in business and IT management–holding senior roles for several Fortune 500 companies where he boosted productivity, efficiency and transparency; reduce operational costs; managed global, cross-functional teams; and directed multi-million dollar budgets. Along the way Jermaine earned an MBA in Global Business Strategy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and in his most recent role as Cisco System’s Senior Director of CIO Operations, IT Portfolio Management and Enablement where he oversaw a $1 billion budget while improving operational productivity by 25 percent.
Cherishing his Mobile roots, Jermaine’s heart stayed close to the city as he was climbing the corporate ladder. Jermaine’s passion for Mobile’s progress and uplifting all its citizens led him to join the Mobile City Council, where he served from 2009 to 2012, representing District 3. During his tenure on the council Jermaine championed efforts to support local law enforcement and reduce crime in Mobile, and fought against burdensome fees on residents and irresponsible spending and budgets that would eventually cut essential city services. Focused on creating jobs and strengthening Mobile’s infrastructure and recreational facilities, Jermaine also led successful efforts while serving on the Council to revamp the Taylor Park municipal pool in Oakdale, renovate the old South Brookley School into the updated Dauphin Island Parkway Senior Activities for Independent Living Center, and restore Duval Park. Lack of advanced job opportunities in his field forced Jermaine to resign from City Council and temporarily relocate, but his deep love for the city eventually led him to return to Mobile.
Recently, Jermaine has focused his efforts on improving Mobile so that all of its residents can live full lives. Noticing a lack of affordable housing options for Mobile’s low-income and working-class families, Jermaine was inspired to launch J. Burrell Enterprises, a management consulting company aimed at providing quality, affordable housing for new homebuyers and renters across Mobile. Further ignited to bring people together to help bridge gaps in the community, Jermaine also founded Voices of Truth Community Organizers, an organization dedicated to civic engagement and youth mentorship.
Jermaine still resides in the Maysville community and, along with his involvement in Voices of Truth, is active in the local community as a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In his free time, Jermaine enjoys traveling, mentoring young professionals, jogging around Mobile, and cooking for his loved ones. A dedicated public servant with the expertise of a seasoned executive, Jermaine believes deeply in Mobile’s boundless potential, and stands ready to bring Mobilians together from downtown to West Mobile to lead the city into its next chapter–one defined by growth, opportunity and prosperity for all of the Port City’s residents and communities.