Keynote

Dr. Jimmie Lee Davis, Jr.

Dr. Jimmie L. Davis, Jr. is currently employed at the MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation devoted to science and engineering research in the public interest. The MITRE Corporation was formed in 1958 to create new technology for the Department of Defense. MITRE provides first-rate engineers and scientists experienced in systems engineering, information technology, operational concepts and enterprise modernization to meet the needs of its clients. MITRE currently manages federally funded research centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service.

Dr. Davis has worked in the MITRE Air Force Center since August 2000 in the Wireless Communications group. As a Senior Software Systems Engineer, Dr. Davis has provided technical expertise to a wide range of projects including global positioning system geolocation, satellite communication, cryptography, and cellular technology. During his tenure with MITRE, he has authored or co-authored more than fifteen technical papers pertinent to MITRE projects. Dr. Davis currently leads a Joint Precision and Landing System (JPALS) development task to evaluate, assess, analyze, and characterize system performance, and to develop system requirements.

Dr. Davis is an advocate for K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. In 2006, he was appointed to the Space Florida Board of Directors by Governor Bush. In 2007, Dr. Davis joined the Florida Center for Research in STEM (FCR-STEM) Female and Minority Initiative Work Group, the FCR-STEM Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board of the Godby High School IT Magnet Program. He was also named the 2007 Black Engineer of the Year for Community Service in Industry. In 2008, Dr. Davis was welcomed to the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee’s Board of Directors and he was elected to the Board of the Holy Comforter Episcopal School in 2009.

Dr. Davis was an All-American quarterback at Morehouse College. But when admirers talked about his being a triple threat, they weren't necessarily referring to his greatness on the gridiron, where his leadership and his strong passing arm were legendary.

They might have been discussing his academic prowess. In the spring of 1992, Dr. Davis earned undergraduate degrees in three majors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and physics from Morehouse College and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology, as a participant in the Atlanta University Dual Degree Engineering Program. He continued graduate study at The Georgia Institute of Technology completing a Master of Science degree in Mathematics in the summer of 1995. Dr. Davis also earned a Master of Science Engineering degree in the fall of 1999 soon followed by a Doctorate of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering during the spring of 2000 from the University of Massachusetts Lowell while investigating performance models for Internet services in the Center for Advanced Computation and Telecommunications.

His mastery of academics and athletics brought national press attention and a host of prestigious honors and awards – among them: the National Football Foundation & Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award, the National Collegiate Mathematics Award, and the Eddie Robinson Academic and Athletic Achievement Award. Dr. Davis also was a Rhodes Scholarship Finalist from the State of Georgia in 1990.

The Miami native matriculated through the Dade County Public School System for K-12: Parkway Elementary School, Norland Junior High School, and North Miami Beach Senior High School. Dr. Davis is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. Dr. Davis is the owner of STEM Nation, LLC and the co-founder of Channel ZerO – a consulting firm specializing in education and empowerment. He is also the former president of the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association and former co-director of its community outreach program Bridging Bridges. During his tenure as president (from 2001-2004), the Alumni Association awarded more than $100,000 to students from Greater Boston to matriculate at Morehouse College.

Dr. Davis currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife, Shairi Turner, M.D., and their two children Khari and Aaliyah.