Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Chadwin Davis.
Hi Kevin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi Voyage! My name is Kevin Chadwin Davis, I am 26 years old, and I live in Dallas, Texas. I grew up in Mineola, Texas and graduated from Mineola High School in 2013. I moved to Dallas in 2013 to start over and figure out who I am in a new city. I spent most of my initial years out of high school working, going to college, traveling, and experiencing what life had to offer me at the time. I worked in the service industry from 2013 to 2018 as a server and bartender.
In 2018, I got the opportunity to work at ASP Cares Pharmacy as an Executive Assistant to Rex Green, the Director of 340B. At the time, I was working three jobs trying to make ends meet with no clear direction on where I wanted my life to go. In my role as an Executive Assistant, I got to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community in regards to healthcare, non-profit management, and the vital role that independent pharmacies have in taking care of our underserved communities across the United States. This is where my passion to help serve our community was born. It lit a fire in me that I have never experienced. In a little over three months, I was promoted to my current role as Community Liaison for the North Texas region. In my role as a Community Liaison, I have been blessed with so many amazing opportunities to partner and work with organizations and people across the United States that provide resources to People Living With HIV. The people I have met and the stories I have listened to are the driving force behind my passion today. The stories of the lives of people who are impacted with HIV and AIDS are important and need to be heard.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There were many, many, many obstacles that I had to overcome for me to get to where I am today. Right before I applied at ASP Cares, I was working three jobs, overcoming a breakup, and overcoming past traumas that I thought I had already overcome. In June of 2018, I attempted to take my own life. After leaving the hospital, I saw life in a new light. I realized that what I was doing to myself was not healthy and that I needed a change. A few days after being discharged, a friend of mine named Kent Busby invited me to a 4th of July party. Something in my head told me that I could not say no and that I had to go.
This was the first social gathering I had attended since leaving the hospital and I was so worried about how I was going to explain my bandaged wrists. Little did I know that I would soon be meeting the person that took a chance on me and changed my life. That day I met my current director, Rex Green. I had no idea at the time, but Rex saw something in me that I had not yet found. In a matter of months, I started working at ASP Cares Pharmacy. I had no college degree and little knowledge of the role that I would be navigating through but I pushed through. I worked tirelessly to educate myself about the work that goes into helping our communities. Eventually, I had to quit my other jobs so that I could focus on my role at ASP Cares. Rex saw the sacrifices, passion, and work that I had put into my role. Within a few months in my role as an Executive Assistant, I was promoted to Community Liaison. I accepted a position that would change the course of my life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my time at ASP Cares, I have been so blessed to be a part of so many different opportunities. As a Community Liaison, I am the liaison between the ASP Cares Pharmacy and North Texas communities. In my role, my focus is on the underserved communities impacted by HIV in North Texas. I assist my director in managing all of our partnerships and creating new partnerships in my own creative way. I work directly with many incredible organizations like The Resource Center, Dallas Hope Charities, Legacy Counseling, AIDS Services of Dallas, Prism Health North Texas, Collins Family Planning Clinic, Sonya’s House, Abounding Prosperity, Center for Health Empowerment, AIDS Walk South Dallas, and many more across the state. I was very honored when I was given the opportunity to expand my territory to encompass the East Texas region. Recently, I partnered with Special Health Resources to advocate for HIV testing and PrEP awareness by participating in a billboard series addressing these factors. This is what I am most proud of. I felt very alone as an open gay man in Mineola, Texas. I had no education about HIV growing up or the resources that I desperately needed at the time. I had my family and that’s all that I knew. Now, other people like me get to drive past a billboard, look up, and know that they are not alone anymore. That means so much to me.
Contact Info:
- Email: kdavis@aspcares.com
- Website: https://www.aspcares.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinchadwin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinchadwindavis/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinchadwindavis/
