Paula Davis serves as the deputy commissioner of Operations and Administration for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. She is responsible for the administration of budget and fiscal, human resources, information systems and internal audit sectors of the department.
Davis brings nearly four decades of finance and administrative experience to TNECD, having served in a focused array of positions within state government. She is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), is a listed Rule 31 Mediator and holds certification from the International Public Management Association – Senior Certified Professional (IPMA-SCP).
Davis previously served as a governor appointee to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations for more than 19 years, where she played a significant role in state and local government collaboration. She has also served as a governor appointee to the Southern Growth Policies Board.
Other state positions held by Davis include roles at the Tennessee Board of Probation and Paroles, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Budget and the Tennessee Legislature Office of Legislative Budget Analysis. Additionally, she served as the director of Higher Education Information Systems for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Fiscal Affairs sector.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Davis has been very involved in community organizations, including the University of Tennessee Alumni Association Women’s Council, the UT Alumni Association Board of Governors, Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She resides in Smyrna, Tennessee, with her husband, Elder James G. Davis, Esq.
