Nationally recognized corporate responsibility advocate Evelyn Y. Davis has donated $1 million to support the George Washington University School of Business and School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Mrs. Davis is a shareholder in more than 80 corporations representing diverse industries and since 1960 has attended shareholder meetings across the country. She has gained a well-deserved reputation for holding companies and their executives accountable. In 1965, Mrs. Davis founded the nationally recognized publication “Highlights and Lowlights,” a newsletter that covers financial topics such as corporate governance and executive compensation. She is a regular on prestigious national television networks and programs, including CNBC, CNN, the Nightly Business News, Fox Television and the Today Show.
“This inspiring gift will help ensure the ability of our School of Business to continue engaging the issues of corporate responsibility that have been the focus of Mrs. Davis’s highly influential work,” said George Washington President Steven Knapp. “It will also continue her legacy of supporting the university’s role in medical education and care.”
Mrs. Davis is also well known for her philanthropy. As president and trustee of the Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation, she has made donations to business schools, museums and hospitals. She has been a generous supporter of George Washington over the years, having previously contributed to the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, the School of Media and Public Affairs, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the George Washington University Hospital.
“As a long-time resident of Washington and a former student at George Washington, I am honored to be able to support this prominent institution in our nation’s capital,” said Mrs. Davis.
Born in the Netherlands, Mrs. Davis studied business administration at George Washington and has lectured on corporate governance at many universities and colleges, including Babson College, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and Penn State’s School of Journalism.
“I am delighted that the memory of Mrs. Davis’s extraordinary career and great generosity will be preserved in perpetuity at our university,” said Dr. Knapp.