Dr. Pamela Jacquet Davis

Dr. Pamela Jacquet serves as the Co-founder and President of The Illinois Jacquet Foundation®, a nonprofit organization that honors the legacy of her father, the late jazz tenor saxophonist Jean Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (1922-2004). She is responsible for overseeing its operations, administration and ongoing outreach initiatives.

Spearheading the organization’s ongoing support of The Illinois Jacquet Scholarship in Jazz Studies, Jacquet Davis is the driving force behind this nationally recognized initiative. Her work with the Julliard School in New York, N.Y., not only provides financial assistance to young tenor saxophone students at The Julliard School but has inherently promoted the study and appreciation of jazz music throughout the globe.

In an effort to continue to develop and maximize all available scholarships for students who would best exemplify the legendary personal and professional achievements of her father, Jacquet Davis has also initiated additional planned giving programs and scholarship opportunities at other educational institutions throughout the United States. She generously donates her time and energy in search of new and exciting ways to further The Illinois Jacquet Foundation’s mission and increase available capital that may be made available to students nationwide.

Born and raised in New York, New York, Jacquet Davis credits much of her success to the strong family leadership of her mother, Barbara and her father, Illinois Jacquet, but also the positive impact of the friends and bandmates of the jazz music legend. These relationships with the greats, who not only shaped the emerging genre at its onset but continue to make an impact to this day, serve as a catalyst in her work with the organization.

Jacquet Davis is currently an Executive Medical Director and strategist with Intercept Pharmaceuticals, a leading biopharma company in liver and rare diseases. Jacquet Davis retired from Novartis in 2019 after almost 12 years at the company after gaining considerable experience in Medical Affairs and Clinical Development. Over the years, Jacquet Davis’ research focus has been on ethnicity, gender and age differences in drug response. These differences in drug response may account for some of the health disparities we see today.

Though her chosen profession could be seen as a complete antithesis to the creative career that made her father a legend, her ongoing commitment preserving ideals of hard work, dedication and philanthropy are a direct result of the teachings and experiences her father’s career was able to provide. To her, Illinois Jacquet was also not only a father, but a teacher, mentor and idol. He was a man who led many by his example, and who would surely be inspired by the way in which Jacquet Davis has chosen to share the most important elements of his character with the world.

Her commitment to preserving and upholding a legacy that could easily fade into the shadows is instead, a testament to the eternal existence of great music for those hear who it now and for those who will continue to make beautiful music in the future.