Joyce E. Davis is a writer and communicator who has spent more than 25 years practicing the art of storytelling, much of which has been centered on advancing equity for marginalized communities. In her current role as Pearson’s inaugural Director of Communications for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Impact, she is responsible for telling the story of the social impact and sustainability journey of the world’s leading learning company. Prior to joining Pearson, Davis served as Spelman College’s Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications, where she oversaw the branding of the 140-year-old liberal arts, women’s institution, which has been the number one historically Black college since 2006.
A former co-owner of the public relations firm PowerFlow Media, Davis represented organizations like the National Black Arts Festival and authors who wrote about women pioneers, disenfranchised voters and challenges facing young black executives in corporate America. She began her career as a journalist at magazines like Fortune and BET Weekend, writing impactful articles like an investigative look into Black girls and sex trafficking for Ebony magazine. An alumna of Howard University, Davis is also an author, who has contributed to an anthology about people living positively with HIV, and she penned an American Library Association award-winning teen novel.
After serving on the Diversity, Equity and Justice and Marketing and Communications committees of the FSA, she was invited to joined the Board in 2020. Davis also serves on the boards of the Public Relations Society of America Foundation, which aims to diversify the field of public relations, and NextGen, which connects students from Title 1 high schools to mentoring and experiences that will lead them to successful careers.
A native of Decatur, Georgia, Davis is the mother of a Friends School alumna, who is now attending Decatur High School.