Davis grew up in a large family in the small ranching community of Dillon, Montana, before attending Princeton University. Following his undergraduate studies he pursued a Princeton-in-Asia Fellowship teaching literature in Taiwan, after which he served on the Thai-Laos border as a refugee settlement coordinator. He then advocated for human rights in China and the U.S. as a young lawyer.
Career summary
K&L Gates
As a young attorney, Davis conducted legal research and writing at Seattle-based international law firm K&L Gates, specializing in intellectual property, international joint ventures, and nonprofit agencies and public institutions. His work with the firm included municipal development projects, international transactions and litigation, and transportation policy.
Davis served as CEO of the digital media firm Corbis for 10 years, and as a leader of the organization for 14 years. Working with owner Bill Gates, Davis led the firm's focus on creating, sourcing, and distributing imagery and providing related services to publishers, advertising and design agencies, filmmakers, and other creative professionals and emerging markets.
'''Infectious Disease Research Institute'''
In 2008, Davis held a six-month assignment as interim CEO of Infectious Disease Research Institute, a nonprofit biotech organization working to develop novel, advanced products for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases.
McKinsey & Company
Davis was a senior advisor and director of social innovation for several years at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. As director, he led McKinsey's global Social Innovation Practice and served as a core leader of its Social Sector Office. In this role, he oversaw support to and partnerships with philanthropic organizations, social entrepreneurs, and social investors.
PATH
In 2012, Steve Davis became president and chief executive officer of PATH, an international nongovernmental organization that builds partnerships and develops devices, medicines and services to improve global health equity. Based in Seattle, Washington, PATH has more than 1,500 employees working in 51 countries and an annual revenue of over $349 million. PATH has worked to develop and distribute meningitis and malaria vaccines, built digital systems to fight the spread of diseases like Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and tuberculosis in India, and established public-health "impact labs" to foster in-country innovation in Kenya and India, among numerous other activities. The organization has set a goal to serve 1.4 billion people by 2030. Davis participates in several domestic and international forums, both as a spokesperson for PATH and as an advocate promoting cross-sector partnerships and technology-based solutions to global development challenges. Prior to his appointment as president and CEO, Davis was the interim director of PATH's India program in 2010 and served on the organization's board of directors for nine years. As president and CEO of PATH, Davis replaced Dr. Christopher J. Elias, who left to serve as president of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Personal life
One of the first openly gay business leaders in Seattle and an advocate for social justice in several forums, Davis wrote in 2016 that "a truly thriving, healthy, and unified family, community, or country is one where differing voices and ideas are not just welcomed but expected—and honored."
