Licensed Professional Counselor, Higher Education Practitioner, P20 Scholar
Meet Dr. Sheron Davenport
Sheron Davenport is a licensed professional counselor, scholar-practitioner, and higher education leader with over a decade of experience supporting student development, wellness, and educational equity. She is committed to advancing student success, particularly among first-generation and underrepresented students, through evidence-based programming, mentoring, and advocacy.
Sheron’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to holistic wellness. She integrates trauma-informed practices, resilience-building, and mental health awareness into her professional approach, fostering environments where students and professionals alike can thrive. Her research explores critical issues in higher education, including secondary traumatic stress in student affairs, first-generation graduate student experiences, educational marronage, and critical care as a framework for student support.
With national and international presentations, Sheron continues to bridge research and practice to create inclusive, healing-centered, and student-focused educational spaces.
Professional Focus
Research
My research centers on P-20 Critical Care Leadership, a framework I developed through my dissertation that guides my work across PK-12 and higher education. I explore equity, educational marronage, state takeovers, and student success through qualitative methods such as narrative inquiry, phenomenology, and community-based participatory research. My scholarship focuses on the experiences of first-generation college students, the emotional labor of student affairs professionals, and education as a site of resistance and resilience. I’ve presented and published nationally and internationally and contributed to grant-funded projects supporting underrepresented students. My current interests include digital ethnography, practitioner wellness, and longitudinal research on first-gen students’ post-undergraduate journeys. Grounded in educational justice, my work aims to inform institutional change and inclusive policy development.
Selected Publications and Presentations
P20 Critical Care Leadership
Davenport, S. (2019). Constructing Black Mothers as educational leaders: A source of knowledge and theory. The University of Memphis.
Educational Marronage
Nelson, S. L., Davenport, S. T., &Tillis, G. E. (accepted). Steal Away: Toward a Theory of Educational Marronage
Nelson, S. L., Davenport, S. T., & Tillis, G. E. (2022, April 22-25). (Re)framing dropout: Quitting school as a form of marronage [Paper Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Diego, California
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Davenport, S. T., Tillis, G. E., & Nelson, S. L. (2022, April 22-25). Towards a theory of educational marronage [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Diego, California
State Takeover
Nelson, S. L., Cassidy, A. N., & Davenport, S. (2025) Critical Race Care, The Missing Link in the Implementation of State Takeover Legislation: A Critical Race Socio-Legal analysis of Policy Implementation. Journal of Law in Society, 25, 86
School Leadership
Davenport, S. T. & Robinson, D. E (under review). Critically developing care leadership: Students’ experiences with care in schools.
Nelson, S. L., Davenport, S. T., & Robinson, D. E. (under review). “Don’t let nobody look down on you”: Theorizing Black mothers as educational leaders.
1st Generation Student Success
Davenport, S., Rodriguez, J., & Cox, D. (2023). Utilizing underserved student cultural capital: The Tigers First student-initiated retention project. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 27(2), 91-102.
Do, T., Okafor, C., Ilyes, E., Alejandro, J., Davenport, S., Gordon, D., Laboy, D., Lor, K., Piper, A., Wang, Y., & Weathers, R. (2023). Building the bridges as we walk them: Lessons from a participatory action research project (Unguide) about carving out holding spaces while surviving inhospitable institutions. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 27(2), 113-126.
Student Wellness
Davenport, D.F., & Davenport, S. (2024). Incorporating Affirmations to Support Black College Male Mental Health. In Tyran L. McMickens and Robert T. Palmer (Ed.), Black Male College Students’ Mental Health: Providing Holistic Support in Higher Education.
Blackmon, S. M., Coyle, L. D., Davenport, S., Owens, A. C., & Sparrow, C. (2015). Linking Racial-Ethnic Socialization to Culture and Race-Specific Coping Among African American College Students. Journal of Black Psychology, 0095798415617865.
Staff Wellness
Davenport, S. (2024, June 18-19). Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress for Student Affairs Professionals [Professional Development Session]. TRIO Summer Planning, Memphis, TN
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
Dr. Sheron Davenport has been more than a Retention Specialist to help other students in the TRIO program. She has been a bucket of wisdom, one to appoint me to helpful resources and tools that have helped my college journey. Two main resources that she has guided me to are the Center for Writing and Communication (CWC) and the pantry in the TRIO Program. When learning about the CWC, my work began to improve and I learned more about what the university’s library offered, which led me to use a whole other group of resources. With the food pantry in TRIO, that helped a ton during a time of budgeting and planning out meals for the week for food.
Mrs. Davenport has played a tremendous role in my college career. She has been a great support system for me in various situations rather it came to advice, tutoring, family issues, academic resources, etc. I know that if I'm ever in need she is there to help answer anything. From joining TRIO freshman year to me being a senior in TRIO, I am a completely different person due to her pushing me to do my best. I am more confident in myself, more involved, eagerly seeking new opportunities, and now spear heading my career due to her guidance. In conclusion, I am very grateful for Mrs. Davenport's passion to help students in need, and it has helped shape me to be the man I am today
Dr. Davenport has helped me tremendously throughout my three years at the University of Memphis. Since the beginning, she has always been a listening ear and provided applicable advice to me regarding my academics, finances, and even with things concerning my personal life. She always helps to broaden my perspective on what I can accomplish as a student at the University of Memphis. If it had not been for her assistance, I would not have felt the push needed to put myself in uncomfortable positions of leadership like hosting the Sapphire Awards, applying for an internship at the District Attorney's office, and more.
STAFF AND COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
You always give a different point of view when needed in support of the students. You are encouraging of our ideas. You are not a micromanager. You believe in us and our capabilities in performing our duties. You see us as whole individuals and not just employees and are therefore understanding of the need for work/life balance.
Working with Dr. Sheron Davenport has been nothing short of transformative! The way she genuinely cares for each student creates this incredibly safe space where you can't help but grow. What stands out most is how she approaches everyone with such tenderness - her words and guidance just wrap around you like a warm hug even when tackling difficult subjects. I'm constantly amazed by her deep knowledge and the professional way she handles everything, but it's the perfect balance of expertise with that heartfelt connection that makes all the difference. Dr. Davenport doesn't just teach - she sees you, meets you exactly where you are, and somehow knows exactly what you need to move forward. She doesn't instruct what she hasn't personally digested. I'm so grateful our paths crossed!
Sheron I have had a lot of bosses in my time in the work world and you are among the best I have had and it is a pleasure working with you. You are open, responsive, clear about what you want, a good communicator. What you do works please keep it up