A Conversation with Erroll Davis, President of the African American Heritage House of Chautauqua Institution
The African American Heritage House provides a forum for engaging issues of justice, peace, and faith, establishes a platform for building relationships and community, and serves as a refuge for spiritual, intellectual, and personal renewal.
Erroll B Davis Jr., 75, is a retired senior executive presently engaged with board, philanthropic, senior executive counseling and consulting work. He most recently served as superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools from July 2011 until his retirement in July 2014. Prior to Atlanta Public Schools, Mr. Davis served as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia from February 2006 to June 2011, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the board of Alliant Energy Corporation.
He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 2014 100 Black Men of Atlanta Leadership Award and the 2014 Atlanta Partners for Education Partnership Champion of the Year Award given by the Metro Atlanta Chamber. He was also recognized as one of Georgia Trend magazine’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011; the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “100 Most Influential Atlantans” in 2006 and 2007; one of the “75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America” in 2005 by Black Enterprise magazine; one of the “Top 50 Blacks in Technology” at the Black Engineer of the Year 2005 Awards Conference; and received the Carnegie-Mellon Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 2004. Erroll also was named one of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America” by Fortune magazine in 2002.