Abby Davis has been a fixture at Arkansas Tech for over two decades serving as a student-athlete, coach, educator, mentor and administrator. In June 2022, after three years as the department's Interim Athletic Director, Davis made history as the interim tag was taken away from her title and she became the first-ever female Athletic Director in Arkansas Tech history.

For Davis, the 2026-27 athletic year will be the fifth as full-time AD at her alma mater.

Last year, Davis piloted an athletic department that had its best overall showing since 2016-17 as it finished second in both the President's Trophy and Commissioner's Cup for the Great American Conference.

That remarkably outstanding year of success started in the fall as a pair of new head coaches in Hannah Wuest (volleyball) and Roy Thompson (football) made immediate impacts on their programs with volleyball returning to the GAC Tournament for the first time since 2022 and football playing in their first bowl game since 2017 after posting their first winning season since that year as well. Additionally in the fall, the women's cross country team captured their first-ever conference championship.

The success continued on through basketball season and were amplified in the spring as five GAC Championships were won. Men's and women's golf, baseball and women's tennis each won their respective tournament championships while softball won the regular season outright.

Initially tabbed as Interim Athletic Director in August 2019, Davis led the ATU Athletic Department through some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable.

Just a few months into her role as Interim AD, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States and in the middle of March 2020, collegiate sports were abruptly suspended for the remainder of the athletic year. Over the next few months, Davis worked alongside athletic leaders and medial professionals within the Great American Conference and the NCAA to find ways to facilitate a safe and healthy return to competition for all sports at Arkansas Tech.

Following a conference-wide decision to postpone fall sports in 2020 to spring 2021, Davis continued to work hard to ensure that resumption of competition would be done so in a safe and healthy manner. In January of 2021, Arkansas Tech resumed competition and practice in all sports.

Despite the challenges throughout her time as Interim Athletic Director, Davis continued to lead the athletic department forward and played an integral role in improving the department’s fundraising efforts with numerous financial gifts and pledges secured to benefit the more than 300 student-athletes at Arkansas Tech. The projects that Davis has spearheaded fundraising efforts for include facility upgrades, scholarship opportunities for student-athletes and overall enhancement of the student-athlete experience.

Davis' leadership during the unprecedented time as Interim AD also yielded success in competition as Arkansas Tech has captured Great American Conference regular season and/or postseason championships in volleyball, women's basketball, men's golf, baseball and softball as well as an NCAA Division II Central Region title in women's golf and a NCAA Division II national championship in men's golf.
 
The ATU Athletic Department also continued to enjoy success in the classroom under Davis. Spring 2026 marked the 16th consecutive semester in which ATU student-athletes achieved a cumulative grade point average above 3.0.

As she was serving as Interim Athletic Director, Davis remained the head coach of Golden Suns tennis, but has stepped aside from that role now that she is full-time athletic director.

In 18 years as head coach, Davis became the winningest coach in Arkansas Tech women's tennis history with a career record of 206-154. Davis and the Golden Suns posted a winning record in 13 of her last 15 seasons. The 2021-22 season marked the 14th consecutive year in which Arkansas Tech played postseason tennis.

Under Davis, Arkansas Tech claimed three regular-season conference titles and one conference tournament championship, including both championships in the inaugural year of the Great American Conference. The Suns also recorded a 2-2 record in NCAA regional play.

Davis coached over 50 all-conference picks, three conference player of the year selections and five conference freshman of the year honorees. She also was a four-time Great American Conference Coach of the Year.

Off the court, Arkansas Tech was named to the ITA All-Academic Team five of her last six years, and over 50 student-athletes have received conference academic honors. The Golden Suns also represented the Central Region with the ITA Community Service Award in 2017 and 2018, totaling 635 hours of community service.
 
In the summer of 2019, Davis was named chair of the NCAA National Tennis Committee and served until the conclusion of the 2021-22 year.
   
Davis' tenure as coach followed a four-year run as a Golden Suns tennis player, where she captured all-Gulf South Conference honors.

A native of Paris, Ark., Davis lives in Russellville.