Dr. Airies Davis

Dr. Airies Davis is an educator, author, talent-strategist, and coach. For 15-plus years, she has transformed professional and academic institutions to reflect key diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and equality (DEIB-E) principles, leading to increased cultural competence, employee retention, and client satisfaction. These initiatives include leading large-scale strategic talent/workforce development initiatives and multicultural teams for such organizations as Deloitte, Merrill Lynch Capital, Chicago Public Schools, Hudson Inclusion Solutions, and Monster Worldwide.

Airies is the founder of WorkforcEQi, which specializes in solving complex multicultural workforce challenges utilizing emotional intelligence, mental health well-being, and mindset shifts. Notably, her passion project is the creation of the EtiKID Academy, providing character and career etiquette education to underserved populations. She equally transposes scholar practicum as an executive in residence and adjunct professor for Dominican University, Brennan School of Business in River Forest, near Chicago, Ill. Additionally, as a BetterUp Fellow Coach she is renowned globally for designing Coaching Circle curriculum, presenting BetterUp live events, and facilitating customized evidence-based coaching sessions for myriad diverse audiences.

To complement her work, Airies is certified as a Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), Conscious Business Coach, USF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workplace Trainer, and Mental Health First Aider. She serves on several boards including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies Dean’s Business Council and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) Executive Advisory Council.

Dr. Davis’ academic journey includes an earned education psychology doctorate from the University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education, and a Gies MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.