With more than 25 years of management and fundraising experience, Theresa Davis has a diverse background ranging from campaign management and major gifts, to corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, and alumni relations. She is currently the vice president of university advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation at San Jose State University (SJSU). As chief advancement officer for the founding campus of the California State University system, Theresa has oversight of development, alumni and community engagement, advancement and campaign operations, campus special events, and the Tower Foundation of SJSU.

Prior to coming to SJSU, Theresa was the assistant vice president of engagement and annual programs at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She had responsibility for alumni relations, the Caltech Associates, and the Caltech Fund and Parents Program. The function of each of these areas is to advance public understanding, advocacy, and support for the institute by strategic engagement of its key constituencies.

Davis has also served as the associate vice president of college and program development at Cal State Fullerton, with responsibility for the directors of development who raise major gift-level funding in each of the campus' eight colleges and the athletics department. Additionally, she has been the associate vice president of major and planned gifts at Children's Hospital Los Angeles; campaign director for the California Science Center; senior director of development for the UCLA College; director of development for the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at UC, Riverside, and associate director of corporate relations and also director of the Alumni Fund at Caltech.

Theresa has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arizona State University and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.