Dr. Jewell Davis is an assistant professor of Multimedia Journalism in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University (JSU). She is an experienced public relations, crisis communication, and public affairs professional with over 16 years of experience in both public and private sectors. She has acquired experience with communication teams spanning a diverse range of industries including government and politics, aviation, real estate, and healthcare.
Dr. Davis’ research interests include media framing, music genres as coping mechanisms, content analyses, and public relations and crisis communication case studies. Experiencing firsthand the devastating effect the Jackson Water Crisis had on thousands of citizens, Dr. Davis transformed this dark moment into an opportunity. She decided to focus her research efforts on the monumental role media and journalists play in the shaping and framing of news stories during times of crisis.
Driven by a profound commitment to serving others, she has dedicated herself to the welfare of Jackson constituents. Notably, she has served as a communications lead for five mayoral administrations, and has held pivotal roles including interim director of communications, executive writer, public information officer, and public affairs officer for the Jackson City Council. In 2018, she was honored by the Jackson City Council with a formal proclamation recognizing her scholarly research and academic presentation at the AEJMC Conference in Washington, D.C., where she shared her findings on the impact of music genres on emotional coping mechanisms.
Dr. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio, Television, and Film and Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Mass Communication. She is also a proud graduate of Jackson State University, where she received a Master of Science degree in Mass Communications. During this time, she was awarded with the Graduate Student Award of Distinction by the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Dr. Davis is elated to return home, to Thee I Love, where she hopes to leave a lasting impact on the next generation of journalists, news producers, communication directors, public relations professionals, social media managers, and multimedia storytellers.