John C. Davis is the executive director for the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History and teaching associate professor of political science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Before joining the University of Arkansas, Davis served on the faculty at the University of Arkansas at Monticello as an associate professor of political science. He was also the director of governmental relations and coordinated the university’s legislative initiatives at the local, state and federal government levels, serving as institutional liaison to members of the Arkansas General Assembly, governor’s office and state agencies.Â
Davis served a five-year gubernatorial appointment to the Arkansas Rural Development Commission, where he served as vice-chair and has experience on multiple municipal boards and commissions.
He has authored or co-authored numerous journal articles, book chapters and other publications on state politics. His book, From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas, about the recent historic partisan shift in Arkansas, was published by University of Arkansas Press in 2024. Most recently, Davis co-authored the 12th edition of Government in Arkansas published by the Arkansas League of Women Voters. Currently, he is co-editing the 3rd edition of The Governors of Arkansas.
Davis is a graduate of the Delta Regional Authority Delta Leadership Institute and Harvard Kennedy School of Government Authentic Leadership programs. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in political science from the U of A and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.
An eighth generation Arkansan, Davis lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Ember; son, John Lee; and daughter, Grace.