2004 Summer Program
Application Deadline: Thursday, April 15, 2004 --> Now accepted on a case-by-case basis only
Download Application (pdf 156KB)

Director's Biography

Before rejoining Howard University in 2003 as Founder and Director of the Howard University Debate Institute (HUDI), and as Adjunct Professor of Communications Law, Attorney John W. Davis, II held positions as:

• Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Homicide Prosecution Unit, Justice Department for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Undefeated trial record.

• Assistant General Counsel for the Territorial Court of the US Virgin Islands, and court-appointed magistrate for criminal status hearings and mediations.

• Defense attorney for over 2,500 criminal defendants in state and federal courts. An exceptional trial record.

• Vice President, The Northern Trust Company, Chicago, IL.

• Legal Counsel, First Virgin Islands Federal Savings Bank, St. Thomas, USVI.

With degrees from Howard in economics and law, Mr. Davis practiced law in the state and federal courts of Maryland and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has a Series 7 Investment Securities license.

John has demonstrated leadership qualities since high school, as student-body president, Close-Up scholarship winner and champion debater. In 1979 as a sophomore at Howard, he was ranked 10th in the nation and still holds the record as the top debater in Howard’s history. As campaign manager, he led two successive winning campaigns for Howard University Student Association president, twice served as Homecoming Director and was elected Business Manager for his law school class.

As Legal Analyst for Washington DC’s ABC-TV 7 News and News Channel 8 during the infamous “DC Sniper Trials” John enjoys his work as professor of Communications Law and consultant to the John H. Johnson School of Communications. A successful trial attorney with 17 years of exceptional service in law, business and education, John has turned his passion from the courtrooms to the classrooms as the Founder and Director of the National High School Forensics Academy at Howard University and returns as Head Coach to rebuild Howard’s Debate Team beginning in the Fall of 2004.