Tenia Davis, Ph.D.

Tenia Davis is an accomplished Human Resources and Recruitment professional with a distinguished record of leadership in executive positions at top-tier organizations such as Harpo Productions (The Oprah Winfrey Show), iManage, Johnson Publishing Company, and Raise. With an exceptional track record of driving operational excellence, Tenia has successfully managed complex practices, standards, and regulations not only for talent acquisition and HR but also for multiple departments of large international corporations while managing day-to-day administration.

As the chief people officer at NORC at the University of Chicago, Tenia is responsible for overseeing NORC’s People and Diversity Racial Equity, Inclusion (DREI) functions. In this role, she brings her extensive experience in change management, organizational development and training, compensation and benefits, workplace planning and recruitment, HRIS, employee and labor relations, and embedding diversity initiatives to lead the organization towards success.

Tenia is a scholar as well as a leader, holding an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Benedictine University’s Center for Values-Driven Leadership. Her dissertation titled “The Influence of Organizational Culture on the Display of Servant Leadership” is a testament to her exceptional academic credentials. Furthermore, she is a recognized community leader who demonstrates a particular care and interest in mentoring the next generation of leaders and volunteers. Her efforts were acknowledged by the United States Senate as she received Congressional recognition for inspiring the world’s future leaders.