Known for her dedication, infectious humor and ability to connect with others, it’s only natural that Kathleen Davis would have a deep-rooted connection to community.
Growing up in Decatur, Alabama, Davis, 32, was raised by her single mother and her nana, who had a reputation for her compassion.
Her nana was born in Puerto Rico and forged her way into World War II by falsifying her birth certificate. Amid limited opportunities for women in Puerto Rico at that time, her determination led her to the United States military, where she met Davis’ grandfather.
Davis vividly recalls a formative experience from her childhood that has shaped her values and approach to community work. At a Walmart store, she witnessed her nana’s kindness when a Spanish-speaking couple locked their keys in their car and was denied help due to a language barrier. Her nana stepped in, offering them a ride home, demonstrating the power of inclusivity and the importance of helping others without hesitation.
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“She was the kind of person that if she saw someone walking on a hot day, she would pick them up and take them where they needed to go,” she said. “So I think when I look into my core and people say I’m a community-oriented person, I think back to that moment, but also a billion more with my nana where she just gave. It really shaped me.”
Inspired by her nana’s acts of kindness and her relentless dedication to community service, Davis has developed a deep-rooted commitment to making a difference. She spent her days with her nana, engaging in activities such as Meals on Wheels and visiting elderly individuals, fostering a sense of connection and bridging generational gaps. This upbringing instilled in Davis a strong belief in the importance of giving back and making others feel included.
“When you truly model inclusivity and when you truly model goodness that gets passed forward and that happened between me and my nana and that’s a part of my soul now,” she said tearing up. “When you make people feel included, you’re a happier person and you have a happier community.”
For Davis, inclusivity is more than just a buzzword; it is a guiding principle that shapes her interactions and work within the community. She said true inclusivity means recognizing not everyone is fully represented at the table and actively working to provide a seat for those who have been marginalized.
With a deep conviction for making a difference, Davis has become an inspiring figure in her community, emphasizing the importance of giving without expectations and fostering inclusivity.
Davis’ philosophy centers around being an instrument of goodness, where she selflessly extends a helping hand without judging or questioning the circumstances of those in need.
For her, it is not about scrutinizing whether someone is deserving or sincere, but rather about bringing forth the inherent goodness in humanity.
“My nana taught me that God delights when nobody sees that it was you but sees the goodness,” Davis said. “I don’t have much money so for me, I’m happy to give my time to things in the community.”
If she sees something she doesn’t like in the community, she sees it as her responsibility to get involved and make a change. If she wants to see something in the community grow, she doesn’t make a Facebook post, she asks to help.
Mentorship holds a special place in Davis’ heart, as she passionately imparts her wisdom and experiences to younger generations. Her approach is not to boast about her achievements but to provide guidance by sharing both her successes and failures.
Earlier this year, Davis was named a “Friend of Bonner” by University of Lynchburg where she worked as director of engagement marketing from the time she moved to in 2020 until April.
Davis said by sharing her experiences, both successes and failures, allows her to connect with younger generations and guide them toward a more fulfilling path.
“Being able to talk to a younger generation and point them in directions and saying maybe I took a wrong path, and telling them the angle of here’s what I did and it wasn’t amazing, it flopped in these ways and left me spinning my wheels for years before I got the direction,” she said. “It’s offering the good parts of you and the rougher parts that you had to fine-tune yourself.”
Despite her outgoing nature now, Davis said she did not always feel confident and struggled with self-perception. Overcoming those challenges, she developed a firm belief in the importance of being seen trying. Davis embraces new opportunities with enthusiasm, unafraid of admitting her inexperience and eagerly immersing herself in various initiatives.
“I think that I would describe myself now as someone who is funny and likeable, but I think it’s also important to know that I have not always felt that way about myself,” she said.
She was brought up in a large and loud family which further shaped her extroverted nature.
“If you wanted to say something, you had to shout it,” she laughed.
She said her lively and outspoken personality was not always appreciated, especially when it defied gender expectations.
The summer before graduating from University of Alabama, she landed an internship at The Weather Channel working with its design team and though she didn’t have much experience and learned much of what she needed to know through YouTube videos, she brought energy to the team.
“I brought the excitement, I brought the ideas,” she said.
Acknowledging her potential, the vice president offered her a job in December, provided she graduated early. Determined to seize the opportunity, Davis collaborated with her advisor to complete a rigorous 18-hour final semester, consisting of senior-level classes. This decision meant adjusting her personal timeline, including delaying her coming out process.
She moved to Atlanta 48 hours later with a full-time job from the company as a graphic designer working on the development of one of the most popular mobile apps in the country at the time.
“When I moved to Atlanta I just sort of dug into my career and just really focused myself and my career. I set myself on this track and had all these goals that I thought you needed to have in life because it was clear from a young age I always knew that my success lived and died on my ability to fit in,” she said.
In 2019, Davis met her wife Gail Goldsmith through a dating app and remembers her shock in finding out she was an Episcopal priest.
“I can still remember her walking up to me on that first day, like what she was wearing and everything and just being like, ‘I can already tell this is just a beautiful human being,’” Davis said.
With Davis in Atlanta and Goldsmith working as a curate in Auburn, the two began looking for a place to move that they both loved.
The two ended up finding Lynchburg on the map — even though Davis originally thought of the Jack Daniels city in Tennessee — and moved in December 2020, one day after their wedding, with Davis getting her job at University of Lynchburg and Goldsmith as a reverend at Trinity Episcopal.
It was important to Davis that they live somewhere with a vibrant downtown and strong sense of community and upon researching Lynchburg, Davis was captivated by its picturesque downtown and the presence of local businesses.
Davis made a strong impression on Polly Flint from the moment they first met.
“Immediately, Kathleen came up to me and she was just so friendly,” Flint said. “She doesn’t know a stranger. She’s very disarming, it’s like you’ve known her all along when you meet her. It was immediate. It was just one moment in time, but it’s lasted forever.”
When Goldsmith and Davis were moving to Lynchburg at the end of 2020, Flint, a local realtor, gave the couple a tour of the city.
Flint said Davis quickly became friends with her husband, sister and other members of her family.
She said Davis always brings the fun to any gathering but also is a generous person.
“She’s going to try to make things better for somebody if their circumstances are not what they should be,” she said. “You can’t help but love her.”
Flint said Davis is a self-starter who is determined and tenacious in pursuing her goals.
“She’s a go-getter, she’s a comedian, she’s an entrepreneur, she goes after what she wants and she’s just fun to be around,” she said.
In just a few short years and still in a new city, Davis has opened for comedian Fortune Feimster, started a local history tour guide business, “Curious History,” teaches graphic design at UL and general media development and marketing at Randolph College, serves on the board for Hill City Pride and recently started a new job at Centra Health as its marketing business partner.
“Gail and I always say Lynchburg is our lucky city,” she said.
Davis’ genuine approachability stems from her understanding that everyone has their own unique experiences and stories to share. She aims to create a safe space where people feel comfortable opening up and being themselves. Her willingness to listen and support others has been instrumental in fostering deeper relationships within the community.
“I get this one sweet life, and I’m gonna dig into every second of it,” she said. “So if I start to get stressed about the things that make me nervous, that make me scared, that makes me want to run away, I know that that is a moment where I can dig in even harder.”
For Davis, Lynchburg is not just a place to live; it’s an opportunity to make a difference. Despite challenges and moments of fear, she embraces the city as her home and commits herself to actively contributing to its growth and unity.
“Do things that make you a little uncomfortable, help people, work with people and purposefully reach out to people who intimidate you because you don’t fully understand their experience and the way that they walk through life,” she said. “So instead of spending time repeating things that you’ve heard about different groups that you don’t belong to, spend time with them, give people a chance to bring humanity back into a world where it’s popular to be divisive.”