Draft:Lisa Davey

• Comment: See WP:COI. Greenman (talk) 08:41, 19 April 2025 (UTC)

---

{{Draft article}}

Lisa Davey (born July 13, 1983) is a community organizer and advocate for the Affordable Care Act, labor rights, land use reform, and disability rights.

Early Life and Education

Lisa Davey (nee Wilson) was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. She became engaged in policy and governance at an early age, serving on a Missoula County Public School Board committee at the age of thirteen. This early experience laid the foundation for a lifelong career in community organizing, grassroots leadership, and public policy development. Davey later attended the University of Montana, where she was awarded the Eileen Eivers Undergraduate Scholarship (2004–2005) for her research into wetland connectivity. While in graduate school studying communication, she worked as a Teaching Assistant in Public Speaking, helping to develop students’ abilities in public discourse and advocacy.

Career

Healthcare and Disability Advocacy

Davey served as Montana’s citizen representative during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), where she worked alongside President Barack Obama’s administration and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. A role that ensured rural communities benefited from expanded healthcare coverage, consumer protections, and increased access to essential health services..

She was appointed to the CDC’s Emergency Preparedness Committee (2012–2014), where she contributed to pandemic response planning before the emergence of COVID-19. She also served the Consumer Advisory Council for Missoula Public Health (2010–2013) as well as the Medical Home Advisory Committee for Montana (2012–2014) shaping healthcare models for vulnerable populations.

Davey was selected as a Family Scholar for the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), an organization focused on maternal and child health policy.

She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah’s URLEND program, specializing in autism and developmental disabilities, and spearheaded the creation first interdisciplinary autism clinic, expanding neurodevelopmental services for families who previously had to travel out of state.

Davey founded the Montana Parent Partners program, a statewide peer-to-peer model designed to support families facing major medical challenges, particularly those with children with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN). During this time she collaborated with the Rural Institute for Disabilities at the University of Montana, conducting research on family supports and services for CYSHCN in rural communities.

Beyond healthcare access, Davey organized families and local leaders to develop Silver Summit, the first all-abilities playground in Montana. This initiative ensured that children with disabilities had equitable access to play and social engagement.

Labor Organizing and Economic Justice

Davey’s work in economic justice and labor rights includes her tenure with the Montana AFL-CIO, where she advocated for fair wages, workplace protections, and workers' rights. Her leadership in this sector led her to join the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) in 2019, the nation’s oldest community organizing network. She advanced to Associate Regional Supervisor, where she currently mentors and trains organizers across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Common Good Missoula and Land Use Reform

Davy founded and is the current Lead Organizer and CEO of Common Good Missoula. The organization launched in 2021 with 37+ member institutions and held a 500-person founding assembly, marked by a round dance symbolizing unity.

Common Good Missoula has successfully advocated for major land use and zoning reforms, ensuring that future urban development prioritizes affordability, sustainability, and community well-being. In 2022, Davey personally led the “Our Missoula” zoning reform effort, which engaged over 250 residents in shaping the city’s future growth. These efforts resulted in foundational policy commitments that aligned Missoula’s development strategy with equity, affordability, and sustainable land use planning.

University of Montana Football Controversy

In 2017, Davey brought together a coalition of community leaders and advocates who opposed the rehiring of University of Montana football coach, Bobby Hauck, citing concerns over past player misconduct and institutional accountability. During Hauck’s previous tenure, multiple incidents involving players and allegations of assult and a toxic culture within the program. This coalition pushed for greater transparency, stronger student safety measures, and institutional reforms within the university’s athletic program, driving public discourse on accountability in collegiate athletics and contributed to policy discussions about student welfare and campus safety. The non-fiction book Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer was centered around these incidents.

Recognition and Impact

In 2024, Climate Smart Missoula honored her with the “Masters in the Fine Art of Community Building” award, highlighting her ability to navigate complex policy landscapes, build strategic coalitions, and foster community leadership.

See Also

• Industrial Areas Foundation
• Affordable Care Act (ACA)
• Community Organizing
• Labor Rights