Jim Davis (university administrator)

• University of Texas at Austin (B.A.) ^[1]
• Harvard University (J.D.) ^[1]

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 before earning degrees from UT Austin and Harvard Law School. He worked as a briefing attorney for Alberto Gonzales on the Supreme Court of Texas and spent 14 years practicing law for Locke Lord. ^[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. "President James E. Davis". Office of the President. The University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
2. 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.