Donny D. Davidson, Jr. became the Memphis District’s deputy district engineer for programs and project management in April 2019. He is responsible for the development and execution of the District’s annual Civil Works Construction and Maintenance Program budget.
As the senior civilian advisor to the Memphis District commander, Mr. Davidson helps lead the District in carrying out its responsibilities for flood damage reduction, navigation, environmental stewardship, emergency operations, other authorized civil works; and work for others along 610 miles of the Mississippi and White Rivers, encompassing a 25,000 square mile area in six states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Mr. Davidson brings a wide-range and depth of experience to his current position. He has 22 years of service with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He most recently served as the Memphis District’s Engineering and Construction (E&C) Division chief where he executed the overall E&C mission for the District and served as the levee safety officer.
While serving as E&C chief, Mr. Davidson deployed (his second deployment) overseas to serve as deputy district engineer for programs and project management, Task Force Essayons, in Kuwait and Iraq. There he managed the development and execution of projects supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. In this position, he managed the overall activation, staffing, processes and business development of the new task force as well as the overall programmatic development and oversight of the planning, design, and construction mission of this new contingency engineer district.
Prior to serving as the Memphis District E&C Division chief, Mr. Davidson served as the District’s Construction Branch chief, executing the overall construction mission for the District via oversight of an organization comprised of professional, technical, and administrative employees, including two separately located area offices. Mr. Davidson also served as the Caruthersville Area Office area engineer and administrative contracting officer.
Mr. Davidson’s first overseas deployment was to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012, serving with the Transatlantic South (TAS) District in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. There he served as area engineer and administrative contracting officer for the Herat Area Office and Helmand Area Office, executing construction contracts in his 101,000 sq. mile area of responsibility and approximately $1.5 billion in construction. He also served as Construction chief and Engineering and Construction deputy chief at TAS.
Before joining the Memphis District, Mr. Davidson served as the Far East District’s (Seoul, South Korea) Construction Division deputy chief. There he assisted in the overall execution and administration of the district’s $12 billion construction program, including the Yongson Relocation and Camp Humphreys’ construction program.
Mr. Davidson’s experience also includes service with the Nashville District, as senior project engineer responsible for contract administration and quality assurance needs primarily associated with large dam safety projects at Wolf Creek and Center Hill Dams. He has also served as construction team leader for the New Orleans District, Orleans East Bank for Task Force Guardian post Hurricane Katrina, and as project manager for the Memphis District Programs and Project Management Division.
Mr. Davidson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Memphis. He is a licensed professional engineer in Tennessee. He holds a Level III Facilities Engineering Certification as well as Level II Contracting Certification.