When I was applying to undergraduate school, my dad who was then the Executive Director/CEO of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) encouraged me to consider civil engineering. At the time, I did not know what it meant to be a civil engineer; all I knew was I wanted to improve people’s quality of life and make a difference in the world.
During my junior year at the University of Maryland, College Park, I took Introduction to Urban Transportation Planning with Dr. M. William Sermons. That class taught me that being a good civil engineer is more than designing civil infrastructure; it is also about considering the concerns of the people. That class helped me find my passion in planning. I immediately began to research graduate degrees in planning.
While attending graduate school, I met my business partner, Chancee Lundy, at the National Leadership Conference for the National Society of Black Engineers. She expressed her desire to get in the field of brownfield redevelopment and ensuring marginalized communities are not adversely affected. At the time I was working on my thesis on environmental inequity in Washington, DC. Needless to say we were kindred spirits from day one.
In September 2009, Chancee and I started Nspiregreen, LLC which is a holistic sustainability planning consulting company. As a global leader in sustainability, Nspiregreen will facilitate the empowerment and transformation of every community on the planet. We specialize in public outreach and involvement for environmental planning, civil infrastructure (water/wastewater treatment, highways, power plants) and master planning projects.
In my dad's farewell speech to ASCE, he discussed the "Davis Legacy". He was leaving the civil engineering industry his youngest daughter. It is very exciting to live out my dream of working for myself, while making my dad proud.
I was born in Alexandria, VA and spent the majority of my childhood in Maplewood, NJ, a small New York City bedroom community.
