Meet Jon Davis
Jon cares deeply about connecting the soul of humanity and brings this to life through his roles as a human, catalyst, facilitator, producer, poet, coach, guide, big kid and writer. His personal writing currently focuses on short pieces and poetry that are all written by hand.
Jon is the co-founder and curator of Circles Community, an experience and growing community around the world where people unlock their full potential through connection and creativity. It is grounded in the philosophy of Ubuntu that as Desmond Tutu explained, “a person is a person through other persons.”
The Circles team works with creators, caring humans and change makers who want to explore what they are capable of through meaningful conversation, courageous action and unique forms of art including a focus on music and writing. They have an online community and conduct their signature 2-day experiences in Charlotte with a variety of creative entrepreneurs and musicians.
Jon has a gift for connecting people, seeing potential, creating gatherings and spaces to exchange ideas, and continues to contribute his expertise to address some of the community’s greatest challenges. He dreams about a world where all people feel at home.
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I am only a person through other persons.
Ubuntu Philosophy
Over the years, Jon has been attracted to many meaningful programs, organizations, and opportunities such as the Center for Intentional Leadership where he was a senior consultant for eight years; community service through Communities In Schools of Charlotte where he is the past Chair of the Board of Directors. His newest venture to be released in the winter of 2022 is a documentary film called “Schools ReimaginED” created in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Loyd Visuals that invites students to give voice in developing a new educational model.
Jon is the past visionary and brainchild of the Making Room podcast which is another way he created space for leaders to connect in their shared humanity. Making Room is a platform inspiring people to accelerate change by being a catalyst, honoring creativity and acting with courage. He is partnered with community leaders Brandon Neal and Dr. Shivani Mehta with a goal to inspire people to see themselves in each other, amplify lesser heard voices and reveal compelling ways for people to share opportunities and access across different backgrounds.
He has also been named an “Opportunity Champion” by Charlotte’s Leading on Opportunity organization in recognition for the way he prioritizes generating social capital and new business for Black and Immigrant owned companies. He is a regular contributor to working groups with national organizations like Opportunity Insights at Harvard University and Brookings Institution on social capital and the systemic barriers that face communities of color. Recently he has made appearances on WFAE and PBS Charlotte.
Jon has a B.A. from Davidson College where he majored in Political Science with a secondary concentration in Spanish.
He is also a lover of music, coffee shops, paper journals and the outdoors along with his beloved pup Larry!