Shara L. Davis

Shara Davis currently serves as the senior fellow of special projects for Achieving the Dream. She has also served as a holistic student supports coach and a guided pathways consultant throughout her eight year tenure with ATD. Shara retired from Lorain County Community College in 2017, an ATD LMA winner, where she served as dean of research, institutional effectiveness and public services.  

Shara spent 32 years working in a community service function with special emphasis on community education and capacity building. She has extensive experience in market research, leadership and civic engagement, and has formal training in facilitation techniques, strategic planning, and change management. Shara led the Public Services Institute at LCCC and served more than 500 community-based organizations, local governments, and community collaboratives region-wide.   

Among Shara’s greatest accomplishments was serving as project director for a philanthropic initiative that engaged 20,000 people over 18 months and culminated in an economic development agenda for a 16 county region of Northeast Ohio. For these efforts, Shara was awarded a Key to the Region. In 2007-2008 she was also called upon by Ohio’s Chancellor of Higher Education to help develop a new community college in eastern Ohio using innovative partnership models.