Dr. Kim Davis | Organizational Strategist & Executive Coach
Founder & President, Five/6teen Consulting LLC
Dr. Kim Davis is an organizational strategist, certified executive coach, and researcher with more than 25 years of experience leading and advising nonprofit, higher education, and municipal organizations. She is the founder and principal consultant of Five/6teen Consulting, a Chicago-based boutique consulting firm specializing in interim leadership, organizational change, leadership development, and equity-centered culture work.
Dr. Kim brings a rare combination of executive leadership experience, doctoral-level research expertise, and deep sector knowledge to every engagement. Her clients are mission-driven organizations and the leaders within them — ready to grow, navigate change, and build cultures where people thrive.
Areas of Expertise
Fractional & Executive Leadership
Organizational Change Management
Leadership Development & Capacity Building
Executive Coaching
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access (EDIA) Strategy
Workshop Design & Facilitation
Strategic Planning
Program Design & Curriculum Development
Public Speaking & Conference Presentations
Background & Experience
Prior to founding Five/6teen Consulting, Dr. Kim served as Senior Director of Education at Old Town School of Folk Music, one of Chicago’s most storied arts institutions, where she directed programming, managed teams, and developed partnerships with artists and companies across the country. Her career spans executive leadership, program development, and institutional strategy at organizations in the arts, education, and public sectors.
A recognized voice in her field, Dr. Kim has presented at national convenings, served as a panelist and lecturer at Arizona State University, Penn State, Indiana University, and other institutions, and has contributed leadership to organizations including Chicago Dancemakers Forum, Links Hall, and the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project.
Her current research investigates the leadership experiences of Black women in arts and culture organizations, with a focus on attrition, retention, success, and leadership self-efficacy within predominantly white institutions — work that directly informs her consulting and coaching practice.
What Makes Five/6teen Consulting Different
Dr. Kim’s consulting practice is grounded in the belief that organizational excellence and human-centered equity are not competing values — they are mutually reinforcing ones. Every engagement draws on her research background, her executive experience, and her deep understanding of the specific pressures facing leaders of color and organizations doing justice-centered work.
She approaches every client relationship as a true partnership: rigorous in practice, relational in process, and unwavering in the commitment to results that last beyond the engagement.
Throughout her career, Dr. Kim has collaborated with and contributed to a range of respected institutions and organizations across the arts, education, and public sectors.
Work With Dr. Kim
Whether your organization needs an experienced interim leader, a thought partner for a complex transition, or a skilled coach for your leadership team, Five/6teen is ready to engage.