Jim Davis (university administrator)

Last updated
Jim Davis
31st President of the University of Texas at Austin
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 19, 2025

James E. Davis [1] is an American university administrator. He has served as the 31st president of the University of Texas at Austin since 2025.

Davis started his career as a cryptologist for the United States Navy. He received a bachelor's degree in history from UT Austin in 1996 and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1999. He worked as a briefing attorney for Alberto Gonzales on the Supreme Court of Texas and spent 14 years practicing law for Locke Lord. [1] [2] He worked for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as a deputy attorney general for civil litigation before joining UT Austin as vice president for legal affairs in 2018. [3] He was later promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer in 2023. [2]

Following the announcement of Jay Hartzell's departure to become president of Southern Methodist University, Davis was named the university's interim president in February 2025, several months before Hartzell's planned departure. [2] [4] He was named the sole finalist for the full-time position in July and became the university's president in August. [5] [6] Davis is the first president at UT Austin in over 100 years to come from a non-academic path. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "President James E. Davis". Office of the President. The University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Priest, Jessica; McGee, Kate (February 19, 2025). "UT System names Jim Davis as UT-Austin's interim president". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  3. ↑ "AG Paxton Announces Senior Staff Promotions". Texas Attorney General. November 9, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ McGee, Kate (February 21, 2025). "In first full day leading UT-Austin, Jim Davis replaces chief academic officer". Open Campus. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ "UT System names John Zerwas as chancellor, Jim Davis as UT-Austin president". The Texas Tribune . August 20, 2025 [July 21, 2025]. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ Ketterer, Samantha (August 20, 2025). "UT System officially selects new Chancellor John Zerwas, UT-Austin president James Davis" . Houston Chronicle . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ Kepner, Lily (August 20, 2025). "Regents vote to name Jim Davis as UT Austin president, John Zerwas as chancellor" . Austin American-Statesman . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
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