Dr. Denise Davis-Maye
By Hazel Scott/ASU
Dr. Denise Davis-Maye, a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at Alabama State University, has been elected as a leader of the ACLU of Alabama.
Davis-Maye joins the ACLU’s 2025-26 Executive Committee as its Equity and Inclusion Officer.
“I’m deeply honored, and more than a little humbled, to serve as the Equity and Inclusion
Officer of the Board of Directors at the ACLU of Alabama. I’ve only had the privilege
of serving with the organization for a short period, but I am constantly reminded
how important this work is - never more than right now!
As a Black woman shaped by generations of Black women who stood for employment, civil
and health equity, I don’t take this responsibility lightly,” she said.
“That means we need bold strategies. We need to tell our truths, loudly and unapologetically. We need to stay grounded in the communities we serve. I’m proud to support the brilliant team led by Executive Director JaTaune Bosby-Gilchrist; her leadership is both visionary and deeply grounded. I’m especially grateful to serve alongside an Executive Committee, who I am learning are committed, thoughtful, and justice-minded.”
The newly elected leaders bring a wealth of experience in civil rights, nonprofit governance, philanthropy, strategic communications, advocacy, and community engagement to the organization’s leadership.
According to a statement on its news site, Bosby-Gilchrist said, “We are thrilled to welcome this incredible group of leaders to the ACLU of Alabama’s Executive Committee. Each brings a powerful commitment to equity and justice, as well as a deep understanding of the urgent threats we face.”
A native New Yorker, Davis-Maye has decades of leadership in global civic engagement. She was appointed a United States Ambassador’s Distinguished Scholar to Bahir Dar University in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. With the support of the United States Embassy of Ghana and a Non-Government Organization (NGO), she traveled to Ghana, West Africa, to visit the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana.
Davis-Maye has won numerous awards and acknowledgements, including being named a 2025-27 Fulbright Specialist, the 2024 Dorothy I. Height Global Leadership Fellow and the 2021 Women’s Foundation of Alabama – Women’s Policy Institute Fellow.
Her research interests include well-being, cultural, community, and familial impact on the emotional development of adolescent girls of African ancestry, the history of social welfare policy development, and the global implications of leadership development of women and girls of color.
With more than 30 years of experience in social work practice and 21 years in social work education, Davis-Maye is an alumna of Clark Atlanta University. She completed graduate work at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Alabama.