Communications Exec and Alumnus Dean Davison to Deliver MMA Commencement Address

Missouri Military Academy will welcome communications leader and alumnus Dean Davison to campus on Saturday, May 16, to address the Class of 2026 at MMA’s 137th commencement.

Davison, founder of Davison Strategic Communication in Kansas City, will speak at the 10 a.m. event in Centennial Gymnatorium. Final Formation will follow on the Academy’s front campus.

A 1978 graduate of the Academy, Davison spent seven years as an MMA cadet, arriving in 1971 as a sixth grader from his hometown of Mercer, Missouri. Davison rose to the rank of battalion commander his senior year and graduated as valedictorian of the Class of 1978.

He served as Fusileer commander and also played football, basketball and ran track. He earned the Academy’s highest award, induction into the Legion of Honor.

Davison attended the University of Missouri, earning bachelor’s degrees in journalism and economics. He began his journalism career as a news reporter at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, then worked as a producer and editor for KCTV5 in Kansas City. In 1989, he moved into strategic communications, working in executive positions with Barkley & Evergreen, GE Insurance Solutions and Lockton Companies before opening his own firm in 2018. At Davison Strategic Communication, he offers expert advice to companies on branding, culture, messaging, storytelling and crisis management. He has been honored as Kansas City’s Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America.

As an alumnus, Davison has served on MMA’s Board of Visitors and was president of the MMA Alumni Association. In 2016, he joined the MMA Board of Trustees. The Academy is a family affair for the Davisons: brother George Davison, a 1968 graduate, is an MMA faculty member who teaches business law, journalism and public speaking; great-nephews Sean and Eli Mumm are current cadets.

“MMA shaped my life, reinforcing values of respect, honor and integrity,” Davison says. “The friendships we built and lessons we learned created a foundation for success. MMA continues to create opportunities for young men to build lives of purpose.”

The 49 cadets in MMA’s Class of 2026 come from 15 U.S. states and five other countries. Class members have been offered more than $10.75 million in college scholarships so far and have been accepted to colleges such as Purdue University, Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, Baylor University, Indiana University Bloomington, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Michigan State University, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder and the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School.