Amanda F. Whittle, J.D., CWLS

Amanda Whittle was appointed as South Carolina’s State Child Advocate (SCA) and Director of the South Carolina Department of Children’s Advocacy (DCA) by Governor Henry D. McMaster on June 3, 2019 after being nominated for the position by the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children. Director Whittle graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of South Carolina at Aiken in May of 1992 and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law in December of 1994. She earned a Certificate of Graduate Studies in the area of Psychiatric Rehabilitation from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2023. Director Whittle is admitted to the South Carolina Bar, United States District Court, and United States Supreme Court. She is certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) through the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), and she is a certified Family Court Mediator through the South Carolina Bar. She was a cohort member of the 2023-2024 South Carolina Executive Institute.

Prior to her appointment, Whittle was a law partner with Johnson, Johnson, Whittle, and Snelgrove, Attorneys, P.A. from November of 1995 to July of 2005 during which her practice was primarily Family Law. She was employed with the S.C. Department of Social Services as a trial attorney and circuit coordinator from July 2005 until July 2015, and she was an Assistant General Counsel for DSS from July 2015 until June of 2019 during which she, among other duties, served as the Interim Internal Monitor for the Michelle H., et.al. v. SCDSS, et.al. class action lawsuit.

Director Whittle serves as chair of the South Carolina Bar’s Children’s Law Committee and as chair of the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee. In addition, she serves on the Suicide Prevention Coalition, Children’s Justice Act Task Force, Medical Care Advisory Board, Bench-Bar Committee, Joint Council on Children and Adolescents (Chair, 2020), Safe Babies Courts State Advisory Committee, Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (GJJAC), Master Plan Advisory Committee, State Crisis Intervention Advisory Board, 988 Advisory Board, Children’s Trust of South Carolina Policy Committee, KinCarolina Advisory Committee, and the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children (ex officio member), in addition to other committees. She is a member of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, National Association of Counsel for Children, and the United States Ombudsman Association.  Over the course of her career, she has developed and provided numerous presentations and training sessions for audiences regarding legal issues, intra-agency coordination, and system improvement. She and her husband, James Whittle, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2024, and they have three adult children and two daughters-in-law.

Director Whittle's work in the private and public sectors, along with her passion for serving and advocating for others, prepared her to work with the great team at the S.C. Department of Children's Advocacy and with many partners throughout the state to improve outcomes for children who are served by South Carolina state agencies.