Sonya Laney Davis

Outreach Coordinator

As part of the Education and Outreach team, I help connect DNCR staff across the department and find ways to work together. I help coordinate our team’s presence at programs and events across the state, assist with North Carolina History Day, and work with different statewide initiatives, such as Parks and Trails for Health (PATH) and America 250 NC. I love to support DNCR professionals through professional development and collaborative opportunities and am also a Certified Interpretive Trainer through the National Association of Interpretation. 

I received my Bachelors of History from NC State (Go Pack!) and my Masters of Museum Studies and Public History from UNC-Greensboro. Before joining the Education and Outreach Team, I was the Education Coordinator at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and State Historic Site. Prior to DNCR, I worked with Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, and served on the North Carolina Museums Council Board of Directors. I have a passion for collaboration, finding creative solutions to problems, working with small museums and institutions, and amplifying all the treasures DNCR has across the state. I love exploring new corners of North Carolina and taking advantage of all the amazing campsites at NC State Parks with my husband, little boy, and rescue dog (though our rescue cat prefers to stay home). 

Contact Me For:

  • Help coming up with ideas to collaborate with other DNCR sites and divisions
  • Public programming and event planning questions
  • Interpretive planning and training
  • Adding material to the internal DNCR newsletter “Inside Outreach”
  • Requesting the Education and Outreach team at your site

A Fun Fact About Me: I spent a summer working at a whaling museum on Nantucket during graduate school, so I really love talking about Sperm Whales. Did you know they have the largest brain of any animal on earth? It can weigh up to 20 pounds!