Tuesday, February 1, 2022: The Red Mountain Park Foundation is pleased to announce Leah Davis as its new Director of Development.
Leah is coming into the newly reintroduced development role to increase the organization’s capacity in stewarding and cultivating donors, foundations, and corporate partners. As director of development, she will lead fundraising strategy both for long-term park sustainability and for park growth including capital improvements and programming.
“The opportunity for deeper community engagement and service to the Greater Birmingham community is what drew me to the Red Mountain Park Foundation. The history, mission, and stories of the park are compelling, and it is a great privilege to be a part of the work,” Leah shared.
Red Mountain Park Foundation executive director T.C. McLemore says Davis is the right person at the right time. “From the park’s earliest conception through the past ten years of serving the public, our donors have enthusiastically joined us in dreaming of what the park could be. With Leah’s ability to engage donors in a mission-centered strategy, I’m excited to see how we can continue to grow the park in service to the community.”
Leah, a Mississippi native, is passionate about philanthropy, equity, and community engagement. Leah’s professional career started in Birmingham with the J. Mason Davis Leadership Society at the United Way of Central Alabama. During her time at United Way, Leah executed strategic fundraising initiatives and expanded donor engagement with African American donors. Leah is a graduate of the University of Mississippi’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. As a student, she advocated for diversity and inclusion initiatives, and ultimately was inducted into the University of Mississippi’s prestigious Hall of Fame. Leah is a member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, Young Black Professionals of Birmingham, and an inaugural fellow of the WE Lead Fellowship. During her free time, Leah loves to experience Birmingham’s rich food and music scenes with friends and family.
Red Mountain Park is a public-private partnership between the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission and the Red Mountain Park Foundation. Through a combination of donor support and public investment, the park has been open and free to the public since 2012. The park offers 1,500 wooded acres located in Birmingham, 3 miles west of I-65 (Lakeshore Parkway Exit #255). Visitors enjoy over 15 miles of walking, hiking and mountain biking trails, and the 6-acre Remy’s Dog Park. Beautiful destinations – the historic ‘Hoist House,’ pedestrian Treehouses (Haskell Hideaway, Riley’s Roost, & Rushing Rendezvous) and iron-ore mine entrances – surprise and delight Park guests.