Tim Davis

Timothy L. Davis

Associate Professor of Leadership and Public Policy


Education & Training
PhD, Counseling Psychology, University of Maryland
MS, Counseling, Arizona State University
BA, Journalism and History, Indiana University

Tim Davis is associate professor of leadership and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. A clinical psychologist, Davis helps students, executives and teams achieve more by building resiliency, community and self-awareness. At Batten, he teaches courses on team leadership, group dynamics and emotional resilience.  

Davis’s leadership courses at Batten emphasize practical, experiential learning to build self-awareness. His students form teams to experiment with using different approaches to solving problems they experience as team members and leaders. His resilience-focused courses use the transition to and from college as a place for students to learn emotional resilience skills, life management skills, and foundational leadership skills that will help them deal with setbacks and career changes.

He has also delivered keynote talks for a wide range of audiences. He given talks at companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprises as well as at government organizations such as the National Defense Intelligence Agency and the city of Virginia Beach.

Davis provides coaching to executives and groups facing moments of intense transition or organizational challenges. He has coached teams and leaders at multinational trade and industry groups, as well as local non-profits, for-profit start-ups and entrepreneurs. He has also helped company boards of directors operate more efficiently and cohesively.

Prior to joining Batten, Davis served as the Executive Director for Resilience & Leadership Development at the University of Virginia.  He also previously served as the Director of the UVA Center for Counseling & Psychological Services and as Director of Clinical Services at the University of Michigan Counseling & Psychological Services Department. 

Davis has authored and co-authored book chapters and articles on resilience-related topics. He received the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award from the College of Education at Indiana University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park and his master’s from Arizona State University.  He received his Executive Coaching Certification from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.  Davis completed a postgraduate program in Organizational Development at the Gestalt Institute (Columbus, OH).  He was on staff as a consultant with Business of People, an independent consulting firm.  Prior to his career as a psychologist, Davis held a variety of marketing and research positions with The Procter & Gamble Company.