Dr. Mary Davis was born and raised in the small northeast Texas town of Marshall. A community leader, she found her initial calling in healthcare, obtaining her master’s degree in Nursing and, later, her PhD in Educational Psychological Studies. It was through her focus on nursing and healthcare that Davis developed the leadership skills and preparedness for all of the other paths along her professional journey, which have included consulting, management, and business ownership.

Dr. Davis recalls, “From the beginning of my nursing education and in subsequent jobs, I was identified as a leader by others. This designation has always energized me.” She has a specific memory from when she was on maternity leave after the birth of her second daughter. “I received a call from the chief nurse at my employer, who shared that I had been promoted to head nurse of a 40-plus patient unit. I had not applied for the position.” Seeing how others viewed her as a leader only helped aid in her decision to make her mark on a broader range of disciplines. “My work as a registered nurse, college nursing faculty member, college administrator, graduate school faculty member, public sector senior manager, and business owner are all ones of which I am very proud.”

Her work doesn’t stop in the professional sphere; she also takes great pride and enjoyment in volunteerism. “I have had the opportunity to be on five non-profit boards, serving as president or chairperson of two of these organizations.” Participating in efforts that change lives is a passion of Davis’ no matter where she does it. “I have been proud to be able to make a difference in the lives of others by contributing to bottom-line successes. Recently, I completed 10 years as a mayoral appointee to the City of Denver’s Citizen Oversight Board. In this role, I was elected chair for four of those years.”

Mary is big on family. While working as a registered nurse in a hospital adolescent psychiatric unit, she not only learned about the family dynamics that work best for young teenage patients and their families, but she gained insights into improving dynamics within her own family. This awareness changed how she interacted with her daughters and later inspired her to, again, expand her focus to another calling. She recounts, “It was enlightening to learn how family dynamics influenced the well-being of teenaged patients and their families as a whole. I came to understand the importance of listening to my daughters each day. After this experience, my involvement as a children’s church director at two congregations heightened my sensitivity to total family involvement in the life of each family member.” Davis continues, “As my own family members aged and needed age-appropriate attention and care, my husband, who was an ordained minister and pastor, decided to explore how we could make a difference in their lives and members of churches in which we served. This contributed to our establishing World of Wellness Home Care, a licensed Colorado non-medical agency in 2012.”

Reflecting on where she has come from, Davis can only call her journey a “patchwork of experiences” because of how dimensional it has been. She is not one to limit herself and accepts all of the callings brought upon her with open arms. “My view is that each person should identify their passion, which includes identifying and listening to their spiritual gifts, then find a way to cultivate these gifts to the Glory of God.”

Angelle Fouther and Daryn Fouther

Read more about other older adults who are indispensable to our community.