Dr. Morgan “Joey” Davies’ personal struggles with an auditory processing disorder and dyslexia made her acutely aware of how disabilities can affect a student’s capacity to perform and succeed. After taking an American Sign Language class in high school, she knew deaf education would be her chosen career. She pursued and received a bachelor’s degree in Habilitation of the Deaf (the only school in Texas with such a program) from TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences in 2012, later obtaining her master’s degree in Deaf Education from Columbia University and her Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies from the University of Houston.
After working in speech clinics, deaf education and audiology for over 10 years, Dr. Davies realized many programs that are offered often do not help individuals reach their full potential. In 2022, she fulfilled a long-held dream and founded the Davies Institute for Speech and Hearing (DISH) to help guide parents, families and students with hearing loss throughout their early intervention and education journey. This summer, DISH will double in size to accommodate more students and parents and to offer additional services in physical and behavioral therapy for children with an autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Davies and her mother, TCU Trustee Marilyn Davies, have had a momentous impact on the university and Harris College. In 2021, a generous gift from this dynamic mother-daughter duo endowed the dean position of Harris College, which now bears their names and is held by Dr. Christopher Watts. The Davies family made earlier philanthropic commitments to TCU and Harris College through their support of the academic programs of Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf & Hard of Hearing Studies. The Davies School of Communication Sciences & Disorders was named from a transformational gift made by the family in 2014.
Excerpt from the 2023 TCU Leadership Awards program.