Janae Davis

Janae Davis is an Associate Director of Conservation at American Rivers. She works to promote the health of the rivers, riverside lands and river communities in North Carolina and South Carolina to ensure clean drinking water supply, reduce flood risk, protect biodiversity, and assure sustainable and equitable access to conservation decision-making for communities of color. As a social scientist, she seeks to understand how to promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in biodiversity conservation. She has held fellowships with the U.S. National Park Service, American Rivers, and the National Wildlife Federation designing and implementing research, and collaborating on projects focused on integrating justice principles into organizational structures and engagement with vulnerable communities. She firmly believes that the most promising solutions for addressing the climate and biodiverse crises will emerge from community-based coalitions that address the multiple causes environmental degradation including cultural erosion, economic inequality and political disenfranchisement. Therefore, Janae is passionate exploring ideas and practices for linking environmental, environmental justice, and social justice movements. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from North Carolina State University, a M.A. in Geography from the University of South Carolina and a Doctorate in Geography from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.