Susan M. Davis joined Northwestern as Vice President for Student Affairs in April 2023. She previously served as Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Virginia (UVA), following more than two decades working in law and higher education.
Davis joined the Division of Student Affairs at UVA in 2004, where her background as the university’s Associate General Counsel and Special Assistant Attorney General helped her respond to the many legal aspects of student life at UVA. She served in a number of leadership roles at UVA, beginning as Special Advisor to the Vice President and twice serving as the Acting Vice President for Student Affairs. In 2021, Davis was named Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and set about building and leading a diverse department in Charlottesville.
She created strategic and operational goals for the division, overseeing an integrated student health & wellness center and division units including Medical Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, Student Disabilities Access Center, and Office of Health Promotion. Davis also oversaw the Student Safety & Support team at UVA and drew on her extensive legal background to provide advice and counsel to the student-run Honor and Judiciary Committees and the division’s Judicial Affairs team. The university’s Z Society recognized her with the Pale Z Award for her outstanding leadership in 2017, the same year Davis joined the Raven Society, the oldest honor society at UVA.