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Irwin L. Davis

He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1964 and completed graduate studies in Urban Development and Public Administration at American University in Washington, D.C., in 1966.

In Washington, Davis was an assistant to Dr. Royce Hanson, president of the Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies and a nationally known political scientist. In Washington, he also served as a consultant to the Commission on Human Resources from 1966 to 1967.

Davis came back to Syracuse to work as a special consultant to the Commissioner of Urban Development, and joined the MDA in 1968 as an assistant to the executive vice president.

From May, 1970 to October, 1971, he was site office director of the New York State Urban Development Corporation's 3,000-acre New Community, Radisson, located 12 miles from Syracuse in the Town of Lysander. Throughout Davis's tenure, the MDA has been involved in such major projects as the establishment of the Metropolitan Water Supply, the construction of the Carrier Dome, The Oncenter, Syracuse University Research Park, and a new baseball and multipurpose community stadium. As a catalyst for the redevelopment and reuse of key facilities in the region, the MDA has worked as a partner with state, county, and city officials in the redevelopment of Hancock Airpark, the Jefferson Street Armory, Clinton Exchange, the Galleries of Syracuse, and the MONY Complex.

In addition to his Hill responsibilities, Davis oversees operations of two affiliated organizations: the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York and the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. He is also president of the New York State Urban Council, which comprises private and public sector officials directly responsible for the implementation of economic development and urban revitalization projects throughout the state.

Davis is a member of the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, the New York State Fair Advisory Board, the National Council on Urban Economic Development, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Urban Land Institute, the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council, the Onondaga Historical Association and the Cornell University Real Estate Council.

Past affiliations include the Syracuse City Planning Commission, the Syracuse Community Development Advisory Committee, the New York State Industrial Exhibit Authority, and the New York State Board of Architecture. Davis was co-chairman of the New York State delegation to the White House Conference on National Growth and Economic Development, and he served two terms as chairman of the International Downtown Association, an organization of professionals in 300 cities in the United States and Canada. In 1992, Davis was co-chairman of the New York State Jobs Bond Act initiative, and he was a founder of the Metropolitan School for the Arts.