Born to an Ethiopian family in Baltimore, Davis lived between multiple worlds. She is a descendant of anti-colonial fighters who kept Ethiopia free from colonialism when virtually all of Africa was carved out and divided among European powers. She was raised in Apple Valley, CA where she fell in love with the sanctuary of the outdoors while experiencing the realities of anti-Blackness. She left Apple Valley to attend UC Berkeley and it was there in Oakland that her life of activism sparked. In college, she worked for Malcolm X Grassroots Organizing (MXGM), then for Congresswoman Barbara Lee, joined Harry Belafonte's Gathering of the Elders, and coordinated the 40th and 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. 

These formative experiences are the foundation for her work leading the People Team at Sierra Club. Before joining the Sierra Club, Davis founded and led Decolonize Design, a boutique consulting firm with clients spanning the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and Fortune 500 companies. She created the Belonging, Dignity, Justice, and Joy (BDJJ) framework as a powerful and sustainable alternative to the often superficial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) industrial complex. As a longtime community organizer-turned-founder of Decolonize Design, she connects theory and action in unique ways. She believes that successful movement building is not rooted in transactional processes but in deep relational efforts that speak to our universal sacred personhood and sustainability of our earth.