Background

Jean Davis is a North Carolina based consultant, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, independent board member and former technology CEO. She most recently served as president and CEO of MCNC, the technology public-private partnership that builds, owns, and operates the North Carolina Research and Education High Speed Fiber Network. She joined MCNC from the N.C. Department of Commerce where she served as Assistant Secretary, COO and Executive Director of Business, Industry and Trade. Prior to Commerce, Jean was a partner at Empire Properties, the co-owner of Serentec, Inc., and held progressive international positions at IBM, Computer Digest Magazine and McGraw Hill. She remains active in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, serving on the board of First Flight Venture Center as well as working in board and advisory roles for scientific/ pharmaceutical start-ups.

Work

Jean’s areas of expertise include technology-led economic development, government innovation policy, public-private collaborations, and downtown revitalization. Recent projects at Economic Leadership include private and public research park assessment and reinvention, new approaches to rural communication infrastructure, strategic evaluations of technology attraction and growth, and ideas to attract and retain younger workers. 

About

Jean is a 2005 Eisenhower Fellow and 2009 Henry Toll Fellow. She received her undergraduate honors degree in Political Science and Business Administration at New England College in Arundel, England and her Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.

Jean lives in rural Pittsboro, North Carolina with her husband and loves hiking, reading, and travel. She has thrived in the south by only following sports teams from her native Boston.