Quentin Whitwell (BA history 95, JD law 98)
APRIL 12, 2023 BY KAYDEN BREEDLOVE /UM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
CEO of Panola Medical Center, 2005 recipient of the Mississippi Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40” and Jackson city councilman are just some of the titles that Quentin Whitwell (BA history 95, JD law 98) has under his belt. Now, he plans to extend his reach and further provide quality, accessible health care to more rural areas.
“The fact that we have been able to do it in certain locations just inspires me to do it in more areas,” Whitwell said. “It’s very rewarding.”
As an Oxford native and the potential to be a third-generation School of Law graduate, choosing to attend the University of Mississippi seemed like the obvious choice to Whitwell.
“I knew it was going to be the best option for me,” he said.
During his years at UM, his ambition and love for getting involved and helping others were prevalent in both his academic and extracurricular life. Whitwell had a strong desire to be involved in the community, both at UM and in Lafayette County as a whole. This passion stemmed from his enjoyment of public service, pushing him to contribute wherever possible.
He also expressed a strong resolve to distinguish himself from his peers, hoping to set himself apart with extracurricular activities and academics. Through being an admissions officer for the university, a student of the Honors College, and eventually becoming Associated Student Body president, Whitwell began to achieve just that.
“There’s such an incredible legacy of student body presidents: former U.S. senators, former speakers of the house, former lieutenant governors,” he said. “I knew that having that as a goal would make me stand out as someone who was trying to make a name for myself.”
The connections he made in these positions while at UM helped along the way as he began to venture into his career.
“That’s what I love about Ole Miss and Mississippi; it’s a network,” he said. “It ties you to so many people and relationships. It helped me along the way because I already knew some people and got into some awesome environments.”
After graduation, Whitwell began to move into public service and started practicing law with Franke, Rainey, and Salloum in Gulfport, before eventually establishing his own lobbying firm. While practicing law, he also served for two terms on the Jackson City Council, eventually stepping down in 2014 to return to Oxford to establish roots for his business in health care.
Today, Whitwell’s goals have broadened, now focusing on not only expanding affordable, quality health care to more rural areas, but also to create an environment in hospitals and clinics that is welcoming to both patients and staff.
“The people that I work with, from nurses, to doctors and surgery technicians, all create a very exciting environment where people can thrive,” he said. “The communities that we work in seem to appreciate it very much.”
Whitwell encourages current students interested in pursuing a similar career to push themselves to achieve their goals.
“Never take no for an answer,” he supplied. “There will be obstacles along the way. There will be naysayers, and there will be people who don’t want to see you be the best you can be. Surround yourself with people who inspire you.”