Mapping Democracy's Future in Gerrymandered Landscapes: Why Should We Care?

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A case study for the country in resistance to party-manipulated districts for political advantage is playing out in Ohio right now. Davies will describe the years-long battle against a gerrymandered Republican legislature there, culminating in a critical citizen-led ballot initiative in Ohio this November called Issue One. She will also discuss the challenges of how her nonprofit foundation walks a fine line in helping to educate the public about gerrymandering due to the ban against lobbying.

Sharon Davies is the President and CEO of the Kettering Foundation, which works to inspire and connect individuals and organizations to advance thriving and inclusive democracies around the globe. Davies’ career spans both academic and nonacademic fields. From 2017-2021, Davies was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Spelman College. She joined Spelman from The Ohio State University (OSU), where she was vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Davies was also a member of OSU’s Moritz College of Law faculty for 22 years, serving as the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. In addition, Davies directed the university’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, an interdisciplinary engaged research institute known nationally for its work in social justice, equity, and inclusion. She also held an appointment to the Ohio Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.  Davies has an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law. Davies is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of the Campaign to Create the Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park, and a commissioner of the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset. She was included among the Dayton Business Journal’s Bizwomen Power50 2023.