Leigh Ann Davis was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. As a little girl, her grandmother fueled her love of history and community by taking her to every historical society, antique car club, and Rotary meeting she could find.
While Leigh Ann spent her early twenties traveling the country with her husband, Jaymes, she always called the Midwest home. When the two finally set foot in California, they knew they had found “home.” They settled down in Contra Costa County to raise their children over the next twenty years.
Leigh Ann returned to the college campus when her youngest began school, earning three associate degrees in the social sciences from Los Medanos College and a Bachelor of Science in History from CSUEB in 2023. While attending school, she surrounded herself with history whether it be by working in archives or traveling to historical places. She volunteered in the Archives of the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum in Alameda, California and later went on to hold the position of Volunteer Coordinator.
During the COVID pandemic, Leigh Ann returned to school and worked part time as an archivist at Park Day School in Oakland, California, helping the school to recover its institutional history. Her undergraduate work focused on giving voice to local communities through digital story telling.
Bringing her love of local history and archival work together, today, Leigh Ann serves as the fourth Executive Director of the Contra Costa County Historical Society.
