The AMA Foundation (AMAF) is thrilled to name Lenita M. Davis, Executive Director of the Professional Sales and Sales Management Program at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, as the recipient of the 2026 Williams-Qualls-Spratlen Multicultural Mentoring Award of Excellence.
The WQS Multicultural Mentoring Award recognizes world-class marketing scholars and mentors of people of color while carrying on the legacy of three legendary educators: Jerome Williams, William (Bill) Qualls, and Thaddeus H. Spratlen. Award recipients have a sustained career commitment to mentoring as well as a significant positive impact on their mentees’ careers. Moreover, through their mentees, they have advanced research and education on issues where racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity intersect with the discipline and practice of marketing. View a list of past winners here.
About the Winner
Lenita M. Davis, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Professional Sales and Sales Management Program at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where she launched Wisconsin’s only undergraduate major in Professional Sales and has built one of the nation’s most distinctive sales education ecosystems.
Across leadership roles at UW–Eau Claire, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Alabama, she has combined program innovation, student advocacy, and scholarly leadership to expand opportunity in business education.
A defining feature of Davis’s work is her sustained mentorship of students from underrepresented and nontraditional backgrounds. She has recruited, coached, and sponsored students for national sales competitions, created executive mentoring initiatives for HBCU participants, expanded access to corporate networks, and developed programs such as the Los Angeles Sales Academy and Dorm to C-Suites to connect students with leaders from underrepresented groups. Her efforts have consistently increased participation, visibility, and career access for students who have not always seen themselves reflected in business and sales leadership.
Through mentorship that has been celebrated as “deeply personal and relational,” Lenita’s impact spans far beyond formal roles and titles. “Over the years, she has never missed an opportunity to invest time in others – asking about research ideas, discussing the inevitable challenges of the review process, and offering support grounded in both experience and genuine care,” shared Vanessa G. Perry, Professor of Marketing, Strategic Management and Public Policy at George Washington University and former WQS Award recipient. “Lenita regularly provides “friendly” reviews of papers, offers timely and constructive feedback, and collaborates generously – not only with students at her own institution but with many more across universities nationwide. By making herself consistently available, she fills a critical mentorship gap that exists at many institutions and career stages.”
Donovan Gordon, a 2026 Ph.D. graduate of the University of Mississippi, is one of countless mentees who has been impacted by Davis’s consistency, reach, and generosity. “Many mentors provide guidance when asked; however, Dr. Davis anticipates needs, follows up, and remains engaged over time,” he reflected. “Her mentorship creates clarity and momentum, allowing scholars to move forward with confidence. She uses her platform to elevate others, modeling how scholarly excellence and meaningful mentorship can coexist.”
As an accomplished scholar, Lenita’s research spans sales, consumer behavior, services, and digital marketing. She has published in journals including the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing, Psychology & Marketing, and Journal of Consumer Affairs. Her scholarship examines sales enablement, consumer vulnerability, online retailing, and marketplace inequities, reflecting a career-long commitment to research that is both academically rigorous and socially relevant.
Her contributions to teaching, mentorship, and scholarship have earned national recognition, including the Jerome D. Williams Excellence in Mentorship Memorial Award.
Lenita M. Davis will be honored at the AMA Foundation Awards Luncheon on July 25, 2026, during the 2026 AMA Summer Academic Conference in Denver, CO, July 24-26.
The AMA Foundation (AMAF) strengthens and elevates the marketing profession by advancing knowledge, building a global community of marketing leaders, and supporting marketing initiatives that drive innovation and societal impact. Gifts to the AMA Foundation empower the next generation of marketing students, develop forward-thinking faculty, support passionate professionals, build a dynamic community, and celebrate influential and transformative marketers and their work. Learn more about the AMA Foundation’s impact and ways to get involved here.