Susan Davis

Athlete, Change agent, Connector, Environmentalist, Idea generator, Performer, World traveler, Writer/Editor

I am on loan from CARE for one year (8/07 through 8/08) as the Environmental Programs Director for the Coca-Cola Beijing 2008 Olympic Project Group. In this role, I manage the planning and execution and coordinate with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on a Coca-Cola-funded water access program for rural communities in China. Furthermore, I manage a cross-functional team to implement the initiatives under Coca-Cola's environmental programs in support of the Beijing Olympic sponsorship. I also support marketing and communications efforts related to environmental programs. I am also the National Water Strategist for CARE, one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations fighting global poverty. I liaise with the Water Team and several other departments within CARE and external partners to greatly increase the resources brought in for water and sanitation programs. The best part of my job is when I get to meet people we are helping. I have visited and evaluated water and other projects in Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Prior to CARE, I helped to grow WaterPartners International (1999-2003), an international relief organization that focuses on high-quality water and sanitation interventions in developing countries. Before entering the international development field, I was an environmental consultant (1991-1998). In my last position, I managed a cross-country group of risk assessors. I evaluated human health risks associated with contaminated air, groundwater, surface water, and soil at industrial facilities and more than 100 hazardous waste sites on the east coast of the United States. In earlier positions I provided regulatory support to the U.S. EPA in their Oil Pollution Prevention Program, which focused on preventing contamination to surface water. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer for the environmental program in Poland in 1996. I was named 2007 Outstanding Young Alumna by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association; I was also a trustee and chair of its Women’s Advisory Committee (2004-2007). I am a board member for World in Need NOW, a nonprofit organization raising awareness and funds for high quality development programs in Latin America. I graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Applied Biology and earned a Masters in Public Health at The George Washington University. I am a member of Delta Omega, the national public health honor society and a Fellow in the British American Project. My friends like to brag about my one claim to fame: being the first woman to perform as the Buzz mascot at Georgia Tech.

Realizing the possibility to provide everyone access to safe water in our lifetime for health, quality of life, economic development, peace, environment, education, women’s issues, and human rights.

Help others to help themselves. In 11 years of working in international development, I have learned a lot. I used to think that making a positive difference in someone's life meant that I, the do-gooder American, would swoop in with funds I'd raised to build a water project, or advice I could give, and that alone would make a difference. But it's really so much more than that, and much more humbling. Each person has huge potential, and all we're doing at CARE is helping to unlock that. Once that happens, get out of the way! I am so impressed with the people I've met in communities we've worked with. Say we helped the community build the water project; well, by the time we get to visit them they've gone on their own to save money to build a community center, or convince the municipality to build roads or extend electricity lines, or started/expanded their small businesses. So making a positive difference in someone's life is really about giving someone opportunity to shine.

Environmental Consulting, Sustainable Development, Water

I am thrilled to have been invited to participate in my first TED (Feb 2008) by the Coca-Cola Company, with whom I'm currently on loan as Environmental Programs Director (Beijing Olympic Project Group).

Performing: singing with a band, karaoke, mascot, plays, improv, dancing. If not good, I'm enthusiastic. This gives me the courage to be a spokesperson for the causes about which I am passionate.