The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) continues to strengthen its executive team with the appointment of Dr. Linda Davis as its inaugural Vice President.
Dr. Davis, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, has served in higher education administration at the senior level for more than 20 years. Her journey has taken her from the College of The Bahamas (COB) to the former Wheelock College (Boston, MA, USA) and back to the University of The Bahamas (UB), where most recently, she served as Provost.
BTVI’s President, Dr. Robert W. Robertson expressed delight in having Dr. Davis join the team, adding that her breadth of knowledge, along with extensive experiences and expertise in higher education are key to the role she now assumes.
“I am excited and honoured to be working alongside a veteran, well-respected academician. I believe she will execute her duties with precision, helping to support the transformation of processes – all in alignment with our strategic objectives,” said Dr. Robertson.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Davis serve the BTVI community; I believe she will become one of the architects of a strong future for our organization which has a very serious national mandate, particularly in bridging the skills gap,” he added.
Beginning her career in higher education as a faculty member at COB in the Humanities, followed by Teacher Education, Dr. Davis subsequently moved into the administrative track, first as Assistant Chair, then Dean, two Vice Presidential level positions and the international deanship at Wheelock before being appointed UB’s first Provost.
This range of experiences enabled Dr. Davis to explore multiple perspectives and philosophies that inform education and operations in the academe. As a curriculum specialist, she has a specific interest in connecting theory and practice through experiential learning and co-curricular engagements. Her perspective on academic leadership is grounded in the philosophy of the power of teams. She believes in leveraging the talents of each team member to achieve the greatest success, whether it involves faculty, staff or students.
Dr. Davis said she is looking forward to the exciting journey ahead.
“I consider it a privilege to have been selected to serve as BTVI’s first Vice President of Academic Affairs at such a critical time in our country. Our challenge as an institution will be to think out of the box, finding new ways to educate and help students adapt to the rapidly changing needs of industry. I am looking forward to the exciting journey ahead,” stated Dr. Davis.
Additionally, Dr. Davis is a parishioner of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and has served as a member and Chair of the Catholic Board of Education. Her civic and community outreach has spanned national, regional and international engagements, including such programs as The Bahamas COVID-19 Vaccination Drive; Consortium Visiting Haiti-Post-Earthquake (2010) and various service-learning experiences that have taken her to South Africa and Ghana among other locations.
Dr. Davis completed her undergraduate education at the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota (BA, English) and graduate studies at the University of Ottawa (MEd, Psychopedagogy) and University of British Columbia (PhD, Social and Educational Studies). She is a 2005 graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management (IEM) and a 2020 graduate of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI), May 2019 – April 2020, Coaching for Aspiring Presidents and Senior Higher Education Leaders.
