Aquarium in Norwalk Nominates New President

Scientist. Educator. Administrator. Dr. Brian Davis nurtures a lifelong love of the ocean.

A New Jersey native, Dr. Davis has fond memories of family vacations at the shore, where his passion for the ocean was ignited.

The youngest of four boys, he joked, “I had to fight my way into the ocean, and sometimes fight my way back out.”

Dr. Davis joins The Maritime Aquarium from the Georgia Aquarium, one of the world’s largest aquariums, where he is currently Vice President of Education and Training.

Dr. Davis was the eighth team member to join the Georgia Aquarium and was integral in the Aquarium’s design and the development of the guest experience for what was the world’s largest aquarium at the time.

Graduating from Rutgers University in 1992 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Science, Dr. Davis began his career at the New York Aquarium as an educator in 1992. Several years later, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he joined the Education Department at Zoo Atlanta. While at the zoo, he worked to bring education programs into alignment with state and national curriculum standards, directed advertising to achieve the revenue goals for the department, and designed and implemented science-related professional development programs for grades K-12.

He later earned his Master’s of Education degree in Secondary Science Education from Georgia State University. As a graduate student, he created a student/teacher curriculum for – and organized local implementation of – GenScope, a computer-based genetics program for high school students.

After earning his Master’s degree, Dr. Davis joined the formal realm of education as a science teacher in Georgia’s Cobb County school district. As a first-year teacher, Dr. Davis was the recipient of the Sallie Mae Outstanding First-Year Teacher Award in 1998. He soon became Director of the high school magnet program for Advanced Mathematics and Science Academy at Kennesaw Mountain High School. In that position, Dr. Davis developed a rigorous academic program to ensure students were adequately prepared for postsecondary pursuits in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This required fostering and maintaining collaborative partnerships with businesses, universities and technical institutions.

In 2003, Dr. Davis was invited to join the Georgia Aquarium team as the Director of Education. In his role, he created educational content, designed the education level, served as an Aquarium spokesperson and launched all education programs. He eventually returned to Cobb County’s school system, serving as an Assistant Principal/Magnet Coordinator while completing his Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Secondary Science Education (Teaching and Learning) at Georgia State University.

He returned to the Georgia Aquarium in 2010 as Vice President of Education and Training, serving as a member of the senior executive team. He represented the organization as spokesperson at community meetings and professional conferences, as well as served on a variety of national and local boards. He was responsible for building and maintaining working relationships and partnerships with educational institutions throughout the state. He played an integral role in the strategic initiatives of the organization, long-term strategic planning and charting the course for the overall direction of the facility. These experiences will serve him well as he joins The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk team.

A strong proponent of scientific literacy, Dr. Davis has created aquarium programs connecting the importance of science and cultural enrichment to people’s daily lives.

Dr. Davis has published papers on science and aquarium education. He is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Dr. Davis and his wife, Dr. Andrea Davis, have three college-aged children.

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