Keynotes
A shared starting point for conferences, associations, and leadership gatherings. Give your audience a practical lens for leading under pressure.
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Leadership Keynotes • Workshops • Team Development
Donna Davis Presents
Build leaders your team can count on—especially under pressure.
Through engaging keynotes and practical leadership development, Donna Davis helps leaders navigate difficult conversations, respond with greater clarity, and build more consistent ways of leading.
“I help you build stronger leaders, stronger teams who lead consistently.”
Experience that understands the pressureFormer South Carolina state child nutrition director
A career rooted in serviceApproximately 30 years of public service
Practical, people-centered developmentLeadership speaker • Facilitator • Executive coach
Organizations I’ve worked with
Richland Library 
Richland School District Two 
Barnwell County School District 
Charleston County School District 
Anderson School District Five 
First 8 Memphis 
Denver Public Schools 
Bakersfield City School District 
Bank of America 
SNA of Arkansas 
Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs Summit
Sound familiar?
The work is demanding. Leading people is its own skill.
A leadership title does not make difficult moments easier. The question is not whether pressure will show up. It is how your leaders respond when it does.
01
The conversation gets harder—and communication gets shorter.
02
A capable manager is promoted without enough support for leading people.
03
The workshop inspired everyone. The team still needs a way to practice.
The flagship leadership experience
The Power of Your Presence™
How you show up shapes what happens next. This keynote and facilitated leadership experience helps people notice their response under pressure—and practice a more intentional one.
Not just a message. A moment to practice.
Participants reflect on recognizable workplace situations, explore relevant PRESENCE™ keys, and choose a leadership behavior to bring back to their team. Deeper workshops make more room for conversation, application, and facilitated practice.
Explore the experience- 01
Notice how pressure affects your leadership response.
- 02
Practice an intentional response in a difficult moment.
- 03
Communicate with clarity and empathy.
- 04
Choose a behavior to apply after the session.
In their words
What participants and planners share
“Donna, I would like to take a moment to thank YOU for your positive, practical, and fabulous keynote and breakout session at our Summit!”
Find the right depth
Three ways to work together
Choose the experience that fits your audience and the amount of practice your leaders need.
Workshops & Leadership Labs
A deeper facilitated experience for teams ready to work through real conversations, reflect together, and practice intentional responses.
Explore leadership developmentOngoing Leadership Development
Coaching and team development for leaders who want to keep reflecting, applying, and strengthening their leadership habits over time.
Explore leadership developmentA distinctive understanding
For the people who nourish our schools.
School nutrition teams do essential work amid staffing pressures, competing demands, and little room for missed communication. Donna brings the perspective of a former South Carolina state child nutrition director to the human side of leading these teams.
From frontline teams to district leaders, Donna helps school nutrition professionals communicate clearly, address tension, and follow through with consistency.
Practical tools, human moments
A steadier response starts with awareness.
PRESENCE™
Eight connected keys—from purpose and emotional intelligence to consistency—offer a lens for how you lead yourself and others.
Discover the eight keysPEACE Emotional Reset Formula™
Pause. Engage. Affirm. Connect. Elevate. A practical reset for the moment when emotion rises and your next response matters.
Explore the reset practiceDavis AI Strategies
Prepare your people for the future of work.
Through Davis AI Strategies, Donna helps organizations build practical AI skills and approach adoption with greater confidence, responsibility, and a human-centered focus.
Explore Davis AI Strategies (separate website)
Visits Donna’s separate Davis AI Strategies website.
Meet Donna
Leadership is personal.
The practice is practical.
I’m Donna Davis—an Intentional Shift Strategist, leadership speaker, facilitator, and executive coach. My work is grounded in approximately 30 years of public service and a belief that leaders need more than inspiration. They need opportunities to notice, choose, and practice.
I received school nutrition support as a child and later served as South Carolina’s state child nutrition director. That journey keeps the people behind the work in view. I hold a master’s in Human Resource Development from Clemson University and am a Certified Public Manager.
More about DonnaA straightforward next step
From a conversation to a best-fit experience.
01 / Share
Tell Donna about your audience, the pressures they face, and the leadership capabilities you want to develop.
02 / Discuss
Talk through the fit, possible formats, and the depth of reflection and practice your audience needs.
03 / Consider
If there is a mutual fit, receive a tailored scope or proposal to review with your planning team.
Before we talk
A few questions planners ask
Who is this designed for?
School nutrition and district leaders, conference and association audiences, HR and learning teams, government agencies, and higher education organizations developing leaders and teams.
Can Donna adapt the experience to our audience?
Yes. The consultation explores your audience, context, and desired learning objectives. Donna selects the tools and activities that fit your audience and agreed objectives.
Is virtual delivery available?
Donna is available for nationwide engagements and virtual delivery. Discuss the format, timing, and practical details during your consultation.
How do I inquire about booking Donna?
Have an event in mind? Send an inquiry through Book Donna. Want to discuss the right approach? Book a leadership consultation.
Useful reading
Start with the moment your team faces.
Keynote or Workshop: Which Does Your Team Need?
Choose the format that fits your audience and the practice they need.
Read Keynote or Workshop: Which Does Your Team Need? →How to Prepare for a Difficult Conversation When You Are Already Frustrated
Make room for clarity before the conversation begins.
Read How to Prepare for a Difficult Conversation When You Are Already Frustrated →Let’s talk about the leaders you are developing.
Start with a conversation about your audience, goals, and event.
A book by Donna Davis
Lead the Moment
How Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Navigate Acceleration in the Age of AI
Explore the book