James C. Davis

James C. Davis is the president of the Professional Staff Congress, which represents 30,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York and the CUNY Research Foundation. He served from 2015 to 2021 as union chapter chair at Brooklyn College, where he is a professor of English. He was elected to the Professional Staff Congress executive council in 2018 as senior college officer and served on the contract negotiations committee. Davis was elected PSC president in 2021.

A longtime PSC activist, he was drawn to organizing with students and colleagues to prevent tuition hikes and military recruitment on CUNY campuses. As a chapter chair, he helped to wage successful campaigns for health and safety, academic freedom, union membership, adjunct equity, anti-racism and cross-title solidarity.

With the PSC, he has led lobbying teams in Albany and demonstrations in the streets, represented the union in public hearings and helped to negotiate the implementation of the full-time faculty teaching-load reduction. He currently holds an elected position on the American Association of University Professors’ national council.

Prior to his Brooklyn College appointment, Davis spent four years adjuncting at NYC-area colleges and two years in a tenure-line position at a community college. A devoted teacher and scholar, he has published widely on American literature and is a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from Brooklyn College.