Mercedez Shirley-Marie Davis is an artist, storyteller, and community strategist.
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Mercedez began her professional life in the military—managing projects, materials, and admin for fighter pilots in aviation squadrons and for medical providers at a Naval hospital. While in the service, she studied the sciences at a community college and often drove hours to the forest, mountains, or waterfalls, where she wrote poetry filled with awe and reverence. She quickly realized she loved the ocean more than the ship, and after completing her enlistment, she set her sights on protecting it.

She graduated from the University of Colorado in December 2019 with a degree in Environmental Studies. But her path took riveting, unexpected turns. Her first job out of college was with TEDxMileHigh, a nonprofit media organization known for producing powerful talks and cultivating informed, connected communities. From there, Mercedez's work and values continued to be refined by the people, projects, and organizations drawn to her. In Colorado, she collaborated with a sustainable apparel company and farming initiative (ODIN x Farm 49) to develop branding, messaging, and arts-driven community events; managed a grant-funded storytelling project with Hampden Farms, including a podcast uplifting the voices of BIPOC women farmers; and played a key role in hosting a film festival with Denver Film—all during the height of the pandemic.

Her work now spans the environment, media, politics, spirituality, and the arts. In 2023, she dove deep into environmental justice and policy, helping to pass the Windsor Park Environmental Justice Act, which secured relocation and restitution for 91 families in a historic Black community in Nevada. In 2024, she served as State Deputy Director for the Marianne Williamson for President campaign, advancing national conversations around democracy and spiritual values. She’s also stayed close to her love of film—helping produce a documentary connecting Haitian immigrants, faith leaders, and historians to a story of resilience and community revival in Ohio, and co-organizing a Town Hall for the Nevada Film Bill, mobilizing artists across the state.
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Mercedez’s personal creative practice is evolving alongside her professional and spiritual journey. Her work spans poetry, performance, film, and visual media, often blending the sacred with the sensual. While she is thorough in examining the systems that shape us—both internal and external—she also advocates for joy as justice, play as liberation, and reimagining culture, intimacy, and communion.

She continues to collaborate with communities, organizations, and artists to create work that is intentional, imaginative, and deeply human.

...and yes, she models too.