April Member Profile: Natalee Davis
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Natalee Davis to hear her path to Black Talent Initiative. This multi-talented Black woman blew us away with her journey to being her authentic self at work.
Natalee didn’t initially go to school for marketing and wasn’t aware of her potential in the marketing field, but she started her career willing to work anywhere. She started out as a receptionist at a marketing agency. It was love at first sight. She loved events and began leading event promotions and sponsorship. She never let her title hold her back. As her knowledge and expertise grew, she started to create new positions for herself - making sure her pay check reflected that experience. Over time, she had instrumental roles in many incentive programs and worked with MLSE, NFL, F1 and many other large sport organizations.
“I started to make the roles my own,” Natalee told The Standard. But despite being able to take on more responsibility and receive pay increases, she wasn’t feeling fulfilled. So she took a chance. She listened to her inner voice that pulled her away from the city and guided her to move her family two hours from home.
That’s when she found her vocation. At Lerner’s Law firm she was able to play in all her fields of interest. Managing the marketing and business development strategy for various law groups, implementing programming, securing sponsorships and most importantly working with the DEI group. As part of the Diversity and Inclusion team, she helped create a bursary for racialized students and many other programs that support Black and racialized students.
With her new career journey set, Natalee began volunteering with Black Talent Initiative (BTI) as a way of helping others find their path. Through the Onyx program and Ten Thousand Coffees, she has mentored several Black students and new professionals. She’s also been working on BTI’s upcoming speaker series that will be catered specifically to empowering Black professionals. “My experience at BTI has really allowed me to connect with like-minded individuals,” Natalee shared.
Despite the big move, Natalee has no regrets. Her new role allows her to take off her “fit in persona” and embrace her authentic self. “What is on paper seems valuable now, but what is out there can be powerful. It takes strength and perseverance and you have to fight yourself against fear,” said Natalee Davis.
For more information about Natalee’s career journey, follow her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Please also share her initiatives to support Black students find their path:
Don’t forget to follow Black Talent Initiative to find more about the amazing work they are doing to empower Black leaders of today and tomorrow.
