Davis is widely known for her scholarship on African-Americans in higher education, critical race theory, diversity initiatives on college campuses, girls and women of color in educational and social contexts, and college student development and graduate preparation. Her research has been cited in nearly 5,000 publications and she has served on seven editorial boards for education journals. Davis also served as the American Educational Research Association Division J Equity and Inclusion Officer and as the American College Personnel Association’s first Director of Equity and Inclusion on the national governing board. A past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (Davis was the first Black woman to hold this position) she has won numerous awards, including the 2018 ACPA Commission for Women’s Identities Research Award from ACPA-College Student Educators, International. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Southern Illinois University, a master’s in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University, a graduate certificate in African and African American Studies from Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in higher education from Indiana University, Bloomington.
