Louis Davis, Jr.
Impacting Lives and Influencing Policy
Louis Davis, Jr., class of 1986, is the State Director of AARP District of Columbia State Office and a registered lobbyist. In these roles, Louis lobbies for 190,000 District of Columbia residents age 50+ in one of the most powerful advocacy groups in the U.S.
Louis majored in political science at Knox, and he credits the quality of the Knox education for preparing him for professional success.
“My experience at Knox did not influence my career choice, but rather, prepared me well for the career I would later choose,” Louis reflected. “I think my career chose me. I believe I was born to affect positive change in the lives of people, especially those needing an advocate.”
Louis is a native of Chicago and a graduate of Kenwood Academy. He was a member of ABLE and a popular DJ for WVKC, The Voice of Knox College. Louis went on to earn a Master of Public Administration from the George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration in 2008.
Focused service in the nation’s capital
Long before Louis was a DC mover and shaker he worked in the City of Chicago mayor's offices of both Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer. Later he served as an Appropriations Assistant and Senior Legislative Assistant for U.S. Representative José E. Serrano of New York (D-NY).
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Louis quickly discovered that political outreach and grassroots advocacy fulfilled his passion to help others. In 1993 Louis was appointed to the Healthcare Reform Taskforce established by First Lady Hillary Clinton, and he was instrumental in getting legislation funded for Title IV (now called Part D) of the Ryan White CARE Act. The Ryan White CARE Act is the nation’s largest federally funded program for people living with HIV-AIDS. Louis was awarded the prestigious National AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and Families award for his work on this project.
In the mid 90s, Louis joined the leadership at USAID to implement democracy and governance programs in Liberia, West Africa. Later, he lead an executive team in a 16-month process across five continents for World Vision International (WVI), the world’s largest faith-based disaster-relief and development organization. This project to create a new vision statement and platform, engaged over 6,000 people around the world, and was approved unanimously by the WVI Board of Directors.
“At the end of each day, I feel a sense of accomplishment because I lead teams of staff and volunteers to greatness in service to others," Louis commented.
Over past decades Louis has lead human services projects and influenced public policies and improved and saved many lives. He administered a $10 million Housing and Urban Development grant that funded high school dropout-prevention programs in 21 states; and he has served on the nonprofit Boards of Directors of Whitman Walker Clinic, IONA Senior Services, and Leadership Greater Washington.
Louis served for nine years as a volunteer at the Children’s National Medical Center, and he is a supporter of World Vision, LaRabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago, and the High Line of New York City. His current hobbies include music, photography, and expanding his film collection.