Inclusion in November 2021. In 2022, she received The Golden Gavel Award, which is Toastmasters International’s highest and most prestigious award given to only one person each year. Additionally, she was nominated for Forbes 2021 Women 50 Over 50 list and again in 2022.
Dr. Davis has worked in more than 30 countries on 5 continents and delivers more than 100 speeches a year to a wide range of industries, sectors, and sizes, including Fortune 10s-500s corporations, large membership associations and non-profit organizations, and federal, state, and local government agencies. She continues to consult, coach, and train leaders at all levels, including Corporate CEOs, C-Suite executives, Board of Directors. She served on the Board of Directors and the Foundation Board for the National Speakers Association (2017-2021) and led their first-ever NSA DEI Task Force. She is currently a member of the NSA Million Dollar Speakers Group, and a member of the Global Speakers Federation. In 2021, she was named to the National Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and will serve a four-year term. She holds a Bachelor’s in Pre-Law, a Master’s in Adult Education; a second Master’s in Human Resource Management, and a Ph.D. in Business and Organizational Leadership.
Dr. Shirley Davis is the author of the recently released book Living Beyond “What If?” Release the Limits and Realize Your Dreams (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, August 10, 2021). She’s also the author of Reinvent Yourself: Strategies for Achieving Success in Every Area of Your Life and The Seat: How to Get Invited to the Table When You’re Over-Performing but Undervalued. Additionally, she is a popular author for numerous LinkedIn Learning courses on Leadership and DEI, and in January 2021 was sought out by another global publishing company–John Wiley & Sons to write the first-ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Dummies book (released January 10, 2022 as Amazon’s #1 New Release in its category and #7 Best Seller).
She is a former Miss District of Columbia National Teenager, Mrs. Oklahoma-America, Ms. Richmond Virginia, Ms. Virginia, and in 2000 she won the national title of Ms. American United States. But among her many accomplishments and titles, the one she holds dearest is “Mom” to her daughter, Gabrielle Victoria.
