Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis’ work in St. Louis spans university classrooms, community initiatives and conversations with families shaping how their children learn — even as her scholarship has created opportunities for students on international stages.
Colleagues say that reach extends well beyond campus.
“She is absolutely a great connector,” said Jimmy Davies, founder and CEO of Every.Black and a longtime collaborator. “She has introduced me to different people over the years.”
Davis, a professor of higher education at Saint Louis University, has built her career at the intersection of scholarship, community engagement and cultural responsibility.
Her work, she says, is guided by a global understanding of Black experiences.
“I think that looking at education through a diasporic lens has strengthened my practice as a leader in the community, as a scholar, as a scholar-activist,” Davis said.
That lens has shaped initiatives most visibly through the Circle of Excellence Network, a series of STEM-related programs Davis created to support underrepresented youth in grades 6-12, that also focuses on homeschooled students.
Through the network, Davis consults with more than 200 homeschooling families in the St. Louis region.
About 3% of K-12 students in the U.S. are homeschooled, according to the Pew Research Center. Of households that homeschool, 12% identify as Black, according to U.S. Census data.
Davis believes many families choose homeschooling to ensure children learn history, identity and cultural narratives that may be underrepresented or misrepresented in traditional curricula. She also sees it as a way for families to embed spirituality, ethics and cultural traditions more intentionally.
“Being homeschooled by my own parents, I had my own type of African-centered education at home,” Davis said. “It almost served as a healing balm to the racism and microaggressions I was getting at the all-girls high school that I attended.”
Today, Davis homeschools her own son.
Her service through the Circle of Excellence Network has also created opportunities beyond St. Louis.
Davis helped students from the African-centered Aya Education Institute in Atlanta present ethnographic research in Havana.
“I basically turned what they were doing in the classroom into research focusing on the decolonization of institutions and Black communities,” Davis said.
She recalled that when the students presented at the 2018 Caribbean Studies Association conference, they were among the youngest participants.
“Conference-goers were so intrigued that these African American high school students were presenting at a professional conference that there was standing room only,” she said.
Davis’ interdisciplinary research examines the experiences of marginalized groups, research ethics, STEM education, community engagement, AI use in pedagogy, home education and spirituality in the workplace and other learning environments.
A St. Louis native, Davis studied psychology at Webster University before completing a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While pursuing a second master’s degree in higher education, she discovered her interest in developing STEM curriculum for middle and high school students.
“I was particularly interested in forming a STEM curriculum for students that would make them more ready and successful in higher education,” Davis said. “I was really interested in bridging the gap between high school and higher education.”
Her mentor, the late Dr. Carolyn Thompson, encouraged her to pursue a doctorate.
“She basically said the master’s degree was a good start,” Davis recalled.
Davis went on to complete her Ph.D. in educational policy studies on full scholarship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The award-winning educator is believed to be the first African American woman to earn tenure and full professor rank in the history of SLU’s School of Education.
In addition to achieving tenure, Davis has published more than 70 refereed journal articles, book chapters and academic volumes. She has served as editor or co-editor of volumes including Black Women in Leadership and Social Justice Issues and Race in the College Classroom.
Her research and collaborations have taken her to South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Togo, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Cuba and Ghana.
“There’s so much that we can learn from our brothers and sisters on the continent of Africa,” Davis said.
Former students say Davis’ mentorship continues long after graduation.
“Dr. Davis really pours into her mentees,” said Hannah Rose, a 2023 Saint Louis University graduate. “She goes above and beyond to ensure every student she teaches feels valued and helps them realize their own potential.”
Rose, now working as a school psychologist while completing graduate studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, said Davis encouraged her to pursue research and remain confident in professional spaces.
For Davis, the role of a faculty member remains rooted in three pillars: teaching, research and service.
“We all have a responsibility to do what we can to improve things for the next generation,” she said.
“I really enjoy encouraging high school youth to think of science not just for science’s sake, but to ask, ‘What does my community need?’”