With deep roots in our community, Dr. Ayanna Davis grew up in Compton, California.
Ayanna’s grandparents were the children of sharecroppers in the South, eventually moving to California in search of greater freedoms and opportunities. Her grandfather went on to work for the Los Angeles Unified School District as a custodian, beginning a family tradition of public service that would inspire Ayanna’s eventual passion for serving others.
Passing on these lessons from her grandparents, Ayanna’s parents instilled in her the importance of doing your part to help working families. Her mother spent her career working for the City of Compton, and her step father served as a fire captain for the Compton Fire Department and was president of the Firefighters Union.
As a child, Ayanna developed an early interest in civil rights and justice. While she was encouraged to focus on her studies and extracurriculars, her school and neighborhood suffered from the impacts of gang violence. Tragically, Ayanna lost several classmates to gang violence – an experience she would channel as motivation to build gang-free schools later on in her career.
Ayanna earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California while working three jobs to help make ends meet for herself and her family. After losing her health insurance prior to graduation, Ayanna began teaching right out of school in order to regain coverage.
As a teacher, Ayanna quickly developed a passion for early education, and was an outspoken advocate for addressing inequities in preschool programs. In 2004, Ayanna played an instrumental role in opening an accessible, quality preschool in the Watts community, as well as a workforce development center that allowed adults to develop new skills and learn new trades.
Ayanna continued her advocacy efforts throughout her time as Principal at the Maxine Waters Early Education Center and the Ethel Bradley Early Education Center, and also served as President of the Early Education Principal Organization.
Ayanna was elected to the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees in 2022, successfully using her diverse education experience to uplift the voices of both teachers and administrators. Under her watch as Legislative Representative of the Board, Compton Unified School District ranks #1 in LA County and #2 in the state among districts of similar size and socioeconomic status.
Drawing upon her experience growing up in a union household, Ayanna has been an active member of organized labor during every phase of her career. She was a proud member of United Teachers Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) during her time as a teacher, and currently serves as Vice President of Teamsters Local 2010 (Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Union). In these roles, Ayanna fought to secure raises for educators, provide funding and support for teachers and students during the pandemic, and advocate for defined work hours, among other accomplishments.
Ayanna cheerleading at Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington
Ayanna graduating from Curtiss Middle School in Carson
Ayanna has also remained deeply involved in her community throughout her decades long career in education, serving as President of the Southern California Chapter of the California Association of Early Young Children, as well as on the board of an organization dedicated to empowering foster youth. Davis also serves as an Executive Board Member of the New Frontier Democratic Club, the oldest, largest and most influential African American Democratic Club in California.
In addition to her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California, Ayanna earned a Master of Arts in Education Administration from California State University at Dominguez Hills and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration with a focus on Leadership and Policy Studies from California State University at Northridge. Lastly, she earned a doctorate of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.
Ayanna currently lives in Compton and has one son, Joshua, who is a practicing family therapist.