Shardé M. Davis

Dr. Shardé M. Davis is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut, with faculty affiliations in the Africana Studies Institute, the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program, and the Sustainable Global Cities Initiative. Her academic journey began at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she conducted undergraduate research through the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program and received her B.A. in Communication and Feminist Studies followed by an M.A. in Communication. She completed her Ph.D. in Communication Studies and a doctoral certificate in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa in 2016.

• Primary Research: Interpersonal, relational, and intergroup communication
• Specialization: Black women’s communication patterns, racial/gender identity dynamics, and health outcomes
• Key Contributions: Creator of the #BlackintheIvory™️ movement and author of Being BlackintheIvory: Truth-Telling about Anti-Black Racism in Higher Education (UNC Press, 2024)

Dr. Davis's research explores how Black women's complex identities shape communication within close relationships and group settings. Her groundbreaking Strong Black Woman Collective (SBWC) theory (Davis, 2015) examines collective identity management strategies among Black women, linking these practices to mental health outcomes, stress reduction, and group solidarity. She employs mixed methods from post-positivist, feminist, and critical theoretical frameworks to study communication patterns across marginalized groups including the elderly, financially-strained families, and divorcing couples.

Her recent scholarly work spans:

• Racial identity dynamics in academic settings
• Cultural expression through digital communication
• Health communication interventions
• Structural analysis of intergroup communication

Scientific Awards & Recognitions:

• 2018 American Postdoctoral Fellowship (AAUW)
• 2019 Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2021 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Faculty of Color Working Group Fellowship

Dr. Davis leads the Interpersonal Interaction Lab at UConn and serves as:

• Chair of the African American Communication and Culture Division (NCA)
• Associate Editor of Communication Monographs and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships