King Davis, PhD, LMSW-ACP
2008 Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement in Health & Mental Health Practice

King Davis has made exceptional contributions in the field of Health and Mental Health throughout his professional career, spanning more than three decades.  Since January, 2000, Dr. Davis has held the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work.  His research and teaching at the university have focused on public mental health policy, the provision of culturally competent mental health services, health care for the mentally ill and disparities in rates of illness and services for people of color.  From 2003-2008, Dr. King also served as the Executive Director of the Hogg Foundation, which awards grants and manages programs to improve mental health research and services in Texas.  In these influential roles, Dr. King has impacted mental health policy, research, and practice on both a statewide and a national level. 

Prior to his service in Texas, Dr. Davis was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia by Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder. Previously, he served as its director of community mental health services.  Dr. Davis’ academic experience has included service as the William and Camille Cosby Chair in Social Work at Howard University and the Libra Chair in Public Policy at the University of Maine, School of Business.  He also has served as the John Galt Chair in Public Mental Health at the University of Virginia’s Department of Psychiatry.   Dr. Davis has held academic appointments at Washington University in St. Louis, Virginia Commonwealth University, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Norfolk State University. 

Dr. Davis received his PhD from Brandeis University, Florence Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and his MSW from California State University Fresno, School of Social Work.  He has written and published numerous articles and reports on mental health, fund raising, managed health care and social justice.  His book, The Color of Social Policy, was published in 2004.  He recently served on the Surgeon General’s Workgroup on Mental Health, Culture, Race and Ethnicity and in 2003 helped write the report on cultural competence for the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.  He has presented his research findings at conferences and workshops throughout the nation.

King Davis has served on a number of committees and voluntary boards, including: the American College of Mental Health Administrators, Governing Board; the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Advisory Board; and the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Advisory Board.   He has been a member of NASW for more than 40 years and served on the editorial board of Health and Social Work, one of NASW’s scholarly journals.  Among Dr. Davis’ numerous awards and honors are the Austin Travis County Mental Health Center Garnet Coleman Eternal Flame Award, the Council on Social Work Education Lifetime Achievement Award and the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas at Austin.