Head of School Derrick Willard announced today that Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Jennifer Davis has shared that this will be her final year at Ravenscroft.

The parent of two Ravenscroft lifers, Davis has been a Ravenscroft employee since 2014 and a member of the Senior Leadership Team since 2019. She brought to her work at Ravenscroft more than 20 years of corporate experience in all aspects of marketing and communications, including value-based messaging, positioning and crisis communications management. 

“During her tenure, Jennifer has expanded and elevated the role of the Marketing, Communications and Community Engagement Department, instituting a collaborative model that has enhanced the work of the administration and board as well as Admissions, Institutional Advancement and other departments on campus,” Willard wrote in his email to the community. “Jennifer has raised the bar in how Ravenscroft is represented in the independent school marketplace and delivered pitch-perfect messaging around our institutional priorities and distinctive programming — including Lead From Here, advertising and Admissions materials inviting prospective families to ‘Prepare to Soar,’ and our current strategic plan, Framing Our Future.”

Davis has also worked with colleagues on numerous initiatives and committees, including critical contributions as a member of the COVID Task Force that worked to reopen campus safely in the fall of 2020.

Former board chair Kevin Anderson ’82 spoke to that collaboration in reflecting on Davis’s impact at Ravenscroft. 

“Working with Jennifer was one of the great pleasures of my time at Ravenscroft. We had a great partnership, and she was a key member of the executive team,” he said. “No period represented a more challenging time than navigating COVID. As [former Head of School] Doreen Kelly and I worked to communicate in a clear and effective manner to the Ravenscroft community in the face of a fog of uncertainty, Jen’s steady hand supported effective messaging that was critical to maintaining the support, alignment and commitment of all constituencies. 

“Ravenscroft set a high bar amongst its peers in that time,” he added, “and Jen’s excellence in her craft truly was a critical component of our leadership and ultimate success through the uncharted waters of the pandemic.”

Such excellence has been a hallmark of Davis’s tenure, Director of Enrollment Management Margaret Mills ’76 noted. 

“She is an exceptional writer who can listen to others ponder thoughts and ideas and then craft a communication that is beautifully written and absolutely nails the intent of her colleagues. Jen also has the gift for design, which has served us so well in our marketing efforts,” Mills said. “Under her direction, Ravenscroft has produced outstanding and award-winning publications. Her ability to guide others in strategic work and manage multiple projects is the best I’ve ever encountered.”

Kelly, under whose leadership Davis joined Ravenscroft, added, “As a leader, she has embodied the ability to assess data and be experimental, innovative and highly collaborative while possessing a customer-centric approach to her work — all critical skills for success. Jennifer, along with her talented team, has effectively worked to tell the world ‘Why Ravenscroft’ with volumes of stories, timely communications and thoughtful partnership.”

Willard noted that his work with Davis has been equally productive, starting “almost immediately after I was named Incoming Head of School last fall.” 

“Few know the double load Jennifer carried through the remainder of the year — managing a thoughtful series of tributes to Doreen and a strategically planned reintroduction of me over the summer,” he wrote. “There were many hours of planning and filming to produce the polished products the public experienced. I cannot thank her enough for her partnership during my onboarding, her leadership of our market study during the fall and her wise counsel on the tone and timing of communications from my office.”

Davis will continue her work through June 2025, during which time the school will conduct a search for a new Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.