Dr. Kim Davis

Dr. Kim Davis (she/her/hers) is a trusted coach, artist, educator, and researcher with over 25 years of experience in arts and culture performance, education, and administration for nonprofit and municipal organizations.

After years of personal and professional experience in the arts and culture space, Dr. Kim founded Five/6teen Consulting, specializing in guiding individuals and groups, especially Black women and people of the global majority, towards their aspirations through innovative, human-centered, and culturally specific arts-based methods grounded in a somatic and embodiment praxis.

Prior to her transition to full-time coaching and consulting, Dr. Kim served as Senior Director of Education at Old Town School of Folk Music, where she developed and implemented the Creative Dance Residency, producing and presenting artists and companies such as Nejla Yatkin, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Valerie Alpert Dance Company, and The Cambrians. She also has given lectures and presentations, been a panelist, and facilitated discussions at various conferences, municipal departments, and universities, including Arizona State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Indiana University, Arts Administrators of Color Convenings, SphinxConnect, and the IPRA/IAPD Annual Conference.

Dr. Kim currently resides in the Chicago area, though her clients are located throughout the United States. She completed an Ed.D. in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University and has completed training in caucus facilitation and certificates in Women’s Entrepreneurship, Ethical Leadership, and DEI in the Workplace. She is a certified coach in Life, Leadership, and Executive coaching through the Institute for Coaching Excellence. Her current research investigates the attrition/retention, success, and leadership self-efficacy of Black women in leadership positions within the arts and culture sector in predominantly white institutions.

In addition to her coaching and consulting practice, Dr. Kim offers workshop facilitation, guiding participants through transformative journeys, empowering them to navigate the complexities of programming and innovation, make the crucial shift from management to leadership, champion equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in their organizations, and prepare for impactful EDIA work, all while addressing the challenges of the glass cliff and fostering equitable leadership in education. In her public speaking practice, she aims to redefine personal success by weaving narratives of resilience, healing, and growth amidst grief, embracing the journey of navigating gaslighting, code-switching, and microaggressions, and empowering audiences to reclaim trust after experiencing partner abuse, all while fostering a culture of learning and transformation from the depths of trauma.