The Hot Seat: Dr. Keenan J. Davis | Managing Partner @ One Institution Holdings

The Fireside Chat:

The Hot Seat (Fireside Chat) is a moderated conversation featuring leaders and people of influence from the business community and public sector. By highlighting stories of success (primarily from women and people of color), this event is designed to be an inspirational, mentorial resource for entrepreneurs and professionals.

About Your Guest:

Dr. Keenan J. Davis is a social entrepreneur with a desire to promote the interests of the underserved through creative social innovations. Davis has enjoyed nearly 20 years of strategic and tactical deliverables in the public and private sector – leveraging his passion for improving life trajectories with entrepreneurial endeavors.

Davis is a 4x founder who recently launched One Institution Media (OIM). One Institution Media is the digital destination for culture, content, and creativity. The mission is to tell creative stories – big or small – that inspire positive action in society. One Institution Media is an online market place where people communicate and collaborate in dynamic and interactive ways. Our vision is to curate stories in digital form that will educate, entertain, and empower individuals across all demographics. Prior to the OIM, Davis spent nearly a decade with iconic sports brands such as the Chicago Bulls and the National Football League in public relations, global operations, and Governmental Affairs.

After Davis’ career with the NFL Office, he served as Commissioner of an upstart professional football league, where he oversaw 6 teams, and over 200 employees. He continued a path as an early stage business creator, launching a regionally ranked and accredited online college degree program: Portmont College. The education-based social enterprise was initially incubated at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and eventually acquired by Mount Saint Mary’s University. Most recently, Davis was a multi-site franchise owner with Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop, an innovative men’s barbershop and nail salon concept that was featured on the tv show “Shark Tank” Season 6.  

Davis holds a Doctorate in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University where he teaches food and health policy and corporate social responsibility. He also earned a Bachelor's from LSU, and a Masters in Management from Regis University in Denver. Davis is married to Dr. Farah Husain with two children: Parsa and Cairo.

About Your Host, Rubelyn Chu:

Rubelyn Chu is the GM of ProDev, part of the YPC non-profit organization, and Co-Founder of Access2, a sourcing and staffing marketplace that operates in tandem with community organizations. We help ensure that space is occupied by providing opportunity through events and storytelling through our unique platform, one of them being sports.

Rubelyn is also part of the Alumni Advisory Board and Advisee in the Entrepreneurship Program at Northwest University and is a mentor to local high school and college students and in the local startup community. When she isn’t working, she can be found in the gym, going on road trips/traveling or with family and friends.