Shayla Davis

Focus Areas

Shayla L. Davis is the President and CEO of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (OLBCF), the only Black-led nonpartisan statewide policy and research foundation in Ohio. In this role, she sets the organization’s strategic direction, leads its research and civic engagement work, and serves as its primary public voice, building the policy infrastructure that Black Ohioans have long been denied.

OLBCF advances policy, research and civic engagement that strengthen the political, economic and social well-being of Ohio’s 1.8 million Black residents. The foundation’s work contributes to UN SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) through research, civic education and coalition-building that move Black communities from the margins of policymaking to its center.

A former Ohio State Representative and former Vice Chair of the Ohio Elections Commission, Davis moved a state agency to guarantee free menstrual products to incarcerated women before the bill became law. Under her leadership, OLBCF grew from a modest nonprofit into a statewide think tank in her first year. In 2025, the Missouri House of Representatives formally recognized her leadership and impact. She also serves on the boards of the Black Women’s Policy Center and Enlightened Solutions.

Davis is driven by a belief that the people most affected by policy decisions deserve to be in the rooms where those decisions are made. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Certificate in Public Management from Cleveland State University and is a 2025 graduate of Leadership Ohio.