ADDISON DAVIS
Former Superintendent, Hillsborough County Public Schools
FloridaAddison Davis is the former superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) outside Tampa, Florida. HCPS is the nation’s seventh-largest school system with approximately 225,000 students.
During his tenure in Hillsborough County, Davis significantly reduced historically underperforming “D and F” schools, from 28 to five. He also improved the district’s state academic ranking from 35th to 19th, the highest in HCPS history. Davis expanded dual language courses, mental health and safety initiatives, and early childhood development programs. In addition, he worked to promote innovative school-based initiatives by redesigning workforce development, concentrating on early childhood, and eliminating underperforming schools.
Before Hillsborough County, Davis served as superintendent of schools for Clay County School District, also in Florida. Under his leadership, Clay County saw dramatic improvements across all student academic performance metrics and significantly narrowed the achievement gap. Clay County’s statewide academic ranking improved from 20th in the state to seventh, and the graduation rate increased from 84 to 93 percent over a four-year span.
Davis’ experience in education also includes his time in Florida’s Duval County Public Schools. He worked in Duval for 18 years, starting as a teacher and moving to an assistant principal; principal; executive director of turnaround; middle school cluster chief; region superintendent; and chief of schools.
He was named Superintendent of the Year by the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education in 2022. In 2023, he received the Junior Achievement (JA) National Bronze Leadership Award from JA Tampa Bay and the Allen Temple A.M.E. Church Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Award. Davis serves on the boards of several local and national organizations. He holds a master’s in educational leadership from Jacksonville University.