Al Davis Named Director For Texas A&M Forest Service

Al Davis, formerly interim director for the Texas A&M Forest Service, was appointed director by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in a special telephonic meeting on June 14.

“Al Davis earned this appointment with his hard work and his dedication to excellence,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Davis has successfully led the A&M Forest Service through one of the most active wildfire seasons in the state’s history. During 2022, the agency responded to 12,000 wildfires and saved more than 8,000 homes in the path of these fires, protecting both property and the lives of Texans.”

In his two years as interim director of Texas A&M Forest Service, Davis has helped the agency focus on people and its core mission areas to conserve, protect and lead. The agency has nearly 550 employees and 58 office locations across Texas.

“It is a privilege to be in a position to lead this important agency and work alongside fellow Texas A&M University System state agencies to continue keeping Texas prepared,” Davis said. “As an agency, we are all deeply committed to protecting our great state and nation through strategic incident response and a relentless drive to build more resilient and sustainable communities.”

Davis had been with TEEX since 2005, having served as director of the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center. In 2014, he was appointed to deputy agency director.

Previously, he was chairman of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and co-founder and principal emeritus of the National Cyber Security Preparedness Consortium. He is also a former advisory board member of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security.

Davis earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and two master’s degrees from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and Averett University in Danville, Virginia.

Before joining The Texas A&M University System, Davis worked as a consultant with United Water and served as a chief executive of the Public School District in New Orleans. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring with the rank of colonel.

Texas A&M Forest Service provides statewide leadership and technical assistance to ensure trees, forests and related natural resources are sustained for the benefit of all. The agency supports the state’s incident response capability, protecting against wildfire and responding to a range of all-hazard incidents.

From initial response to ongoing recovery, the agency strives to protect Texas from wildfire and other disasters. To that end, it has formed strong partnerships with fire departments and governments on a local, state and national level. Its programming and educational outreach directly assists communities across the state in protecting and conserving their lands.