Arkansas Comes First: The Pryor Center

Join us on Monday, April 20, at noon for "Arkansas Comes First: The Pryor Center," a conversation with Dr. John C. Davis, the Executive Director for the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, a Teaching Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, and a Visiting Fellow at the Clinton School of Public Service.

In this conversation, Dr. Davis will explore Sen. Pryor’s remarkable journey in public service — from a third-grade class president to the Founding Dean of the nation’s first Master of Public Service degree. The discussion will center on the work of the Pryor Center at the University of Arkansas. Founded in 1999, the center documents the cultural heritage of Arkansans by collecting audio and video resources to share with scholars, students, and the public.

The program will be available on the Clinton Center’s YouTube channel the following day.

ASL interpretation is available during our events.

This program is presented by the Clinton Foundation and Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas.

More about the speaker

Dr. John C. Davis is the Executive Director for the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, a Teaching Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, and a Visiting Fellow at the Clinton School of Public Service. Before joining the University of Arkansas, Davis served on the faculty at the University of Arkansas at Monticello as an Associate Professor of Political Science. He was also the Director of Governmental Relations and coordinated the university’s legislative initiatives at the local, state, and federal government levels, serving as institutional liaison to members of the Arkansas General Assembly, the governor’s office, and state agencies.

Davis served a five-year gubernatorial appointment to the Arkansas Rural Development Commission, where he served as Vice-Chair, and has experience on multiple municipal boards and commissions.

He has authored or co-authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, and other publications on state politics. His book, From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas, covers the historic partisan shift in Arkansas and was published by the University of Arkansas Press in 2024. Most recently, Davis co-authored the 12th edition of Government in Arkansas, published by the Arkansas League of Women Voters. Currently, he is co-editing the 3rd edition of The Governors of Arkansas.

Davis is a graduate of the Delta Regional Authority Delta Leadership Institute and Harvard Kennedy School of Government Authentic Leadership programs. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in political science from the U of A and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.

An eighth-generation Arkansan, Davis lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Ember; son, John Lee; and daughter, Grace.

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