Former NFL player Wade Davis is a thought leader, writer, public speaker, and educator on gender, race, and orientation equality.
Former NFL Player Wade Davis is a thought leader, public speaker, and writer on gender, race, and orientation equality. Wade is currently the Vice President of Inclusion Strategy for Product at Netflix and has consulted for companies including Google, Procter & Gamble, Viacom, and others to co-create transformative solutions to build inclusive corporate cultures. Additionally, Wade coaches senior leaders to adapt and flex their leadership styles to meet the needs and develop their employee population.
Wade is a Global Champion for Innovation for UN Women, and serves on the boards of MeToo International, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the MAD Foundation, Promundo, the Peace Studio, and Sparks + Honey. Wade is also a Global Champion for Girl Up, a program of the United Nations Foundation.
Wade’s work to engage, educate, and help men understand what actions to take toward gender equality has included partnerships with the Ms. Foundation and Ebony Magazine where he launched the #BlackMenAndFeminism campaign and with the Ms. Foundation For Women’s #MyFeminismIs campaign. Understanding the importance of engaging men around gender equity and equality, Wade built a ‘Men’s Gender Equality Development’ leadership program that launched with the United Nations in 2018.
Wade was the NFL’s first LGBT inclusion consultant and has consulted for numerous professional sports leagues on issues at the intersection of sexism, racism and homophobia. Wade created league-wide inclusive leadership strategies, led inclusion-training sessions for coaches and players, as well as built and launched national engagement initiatives.
In addition to his work in sports and corporate culture and leadership, Wade consults with entertainment industry leaders, including Fox, Viacom, and NBC. A frequent guest on podcasts and as a commentator for various news programs, Wade’s work in media has also included consulting on Oscar winner John Ridley’s series, American Crime, where he also filmed a co-star role.
A former national surrogate for President Obama, Wade has been an Adjunct Professor at both the NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business and the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration. Wade gave his first TEDx Talk at the University of Florida entitled: The Mask of Masculinity, and works to engage men through a variety of vehicles to become more self-reflective and divest in patriarchal practices. He continues to lecture on the intersections of race, sexuality, gender, and sports at universities nationally and internationally.
Wade Davis was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah with a bachelor of Science in Business Administration and received an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree from Northeastern University for his leadership and ongoing efforts to eradicate homophobia and sexism in athletics. He is currently at work on his first book.
Blindspots
Blindspots is a training program that aims to create new norms that bridge the gap between thought and action. Its goal is to ensure that gender equality advocates evolve from being vocal allies to action oriented change-makers. It creates successful leaders who foster an organizational culture that celebrates diversity and equality.
The goal of creating a gender equal and equitable world is the responsibility of both women and men. For too long, women were the most dominant figures in the movement for gender equality, while men were only seen as allies without a clear understanding of what tangible actions to take. ‘Blindspots’ aims to remove all doubt.
Upcoming Events
Wade Davis has spoken at and/or provided workshops and trainings at over 100 colleges, universities and corporations nationally and internationally including, Stanford University, Penn State University, Syracuse University, Texas A&M University, Fox, Pepsi Co, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Deutsche Bank.
What people are saying…
Wade was amazing! Those who attended said it was the best IDEA session they've been to.
The students truly enjoyed listening to Wade’s incredible story and I believe they took away valuable lessons about diversity and inclusion in the workforce. Once again, thank you for an enlightening Keynote Address and we hope you had a great visit to Columbia Business School.
We were thrilled to have Wade on campus, and I've heard nothing but glowing responses from all of the people who attended his talk. He was so easy to work with, and we would love to find opportunities to bring him back to Bentley University in the future.
Wade is very eloquent and engaging, and I know attendees got a lot out of his remarks. Our CEO had a chance to briefly meet Wade before the event and even asked a question after Wade’s remarks—we noted that it was the first time our CEO attended a Pride event!
Wade just wrapped up his event -- WOW!!! He is such a good speaker, and a delightful human being. I was amazed. We filled up our event venue and had to bring in extra seating.
Your perspectives on what it means to be an active male feminist (focusing on purpose vs praise) and approaches to breaking down patriarchal systems made a huge impact on me.
Wade is a delight! We had a great lunch with youth from Side by Side, a non-profit organization serving LGBT youth in Richmond. He was so open and thoughtful when responding to their questions, and sparked good conversations!
Wade Davis is a wealth of information, honesty and passion for his work which he delivers on each time. Each time I have had the opportunity to be in Wade’s presence I am impressed with his articulate and captivating nature as he shares his story. Wade’s impact on the LGBTQ sports community is authentic and BETRUE in every way.
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