Erica Davis is a Tennessee native and licensed attorney currently living in Nashville. She received her B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 2016 and graduated as the Top Collegiate Scholar in the UT Sociology Department. In her time as an undergraduate student, Davis engaged in several research projects at the intersection of environment, social systems, grassroots advocacy, and collective action. Her experiences in the coalfield communities of East Tennessee ignited a passion for advocacy that led her to law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law, from which she graduated magna cum laude in 2019. During law school, Davis served as director of the Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law (“APIEL”) conference.

Davis is a proud member of Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (“SOCM”). In her early work with SOCM, Davis collaborated with stakeholders and affected citizens to draft legislation to reform oil and natural gas severance taxes and obtain legislative sponsors of and widespread bipartisan support for the bill. The work built on prior efforts to strengthen coal severance taxes across Appalachia to mitigate the violent harm inflicted by extractive industries and was directed by the priorities established by local community groups. The Earth Island Institute awarded Davis a Brower Youth Award for the work, which she appreciated for the opportunity to highlight the resilience and determination of her community and to bring awareness to other region-specific issues addressed by SOCM and its members. In 2019, Davis was elected as the youngest President of the Board in SOCM’s history. During her term as President, SOCM celebrated its 50th year as a member-driven organization dedicated to empowering Tennesseans to have a greater voice in determining their own futures.