Shari Davis

Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute
Co-Director and Adjunct Professor of Political Science

Shari Davis is Co-Director of the Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute and an Adjunct Professor of Political Science, teaching “Introduction to Public Policy” since Spring 2013.  In these roles she strives to inspire students to become agents of change and to engage in the civic life of the communities in which they live, work and study.  For the first decade of her career, Shari worked as a public affairs consultant and lobbyist in Los Angeles with Cerrell Associates, Inc. and Rose & Kindel.  

A graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Shari earned a Master’s in Public Policy degree, co-chaired the student government and served on Harvard’s Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee.  Her undergraduate degree is from USC, where she majored in Political Science and Public Relations and was Captain of the Women’s Gymnastics team.

A long-time education and youth advocate, Shari chairs the community-based political committee, Community for Excellent Public Schools; serves on the Board of Directors of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit children’s advocacy organization, the Malibu Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Santa Monica Early Childhood Task Force; and has served on the boards of numerous organizations related to addressing homelessness, affordable housing, and early childhood wellbeing.  

Some of her favorite pastimes are running the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains, skiing in Mammoth and paddleboarding off our beautiful coast, and in March 2019 she completed the Antarctica Marathon. She lives in Santa Monica with her husband and their Great Dane, with frequent visits from their young adult son and two daughters, all of whom graduated from Santa Monica High School and from universities on the East Coast.