Office Hours with John Gardner
Learn to own your challenges by being innovative and intentional in your work. Houston Davis shares how to work in the leadership mindset to gain a deeper understanding of who your students are and help them overcome challenges with the help of programs such as the recently announced UCA Commitment.
Dr. Houston Davis serves as the 11th president of the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to becoming president of UCA, Davis was interim President of Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Davis also served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer of the University System of Georgia from 2012 to 2016. Before his role in Georgia, Davis served as theVice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education from 2007 to 2012. He has also served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Tennessee Board of Regents, on faculty and in academic leadership for Austin Peay StateUniversity, in fiscal and academic affairs for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and as a regional counselor for the University of Memphis. His professional background includes research projects and policy workin the areas of higher education governance, economic development, accreditation, and accountability issues in higher education and has service on several national advisory groups on higher education policy, degree completion, academic preparation, and accountability. This work includes having served as the national project director for the Educational Needs Index project, a 50 state and 3,140 county study of educational, economic, and population pressures that influence educational policy and planning at local, regional, and state levels. He received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University with other degrees from the University of Memphis and Tennessee State University. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children–Polly, Whitney, and Joshua.
