"I know it sounds funny," she said, "but I consider it my full-time job."

'LUCKY TO HAVE HER'

Nick is 19 and attends Hampden-Sydney College.

When he was at James Monroe High School, his mother mentored three female students through the League of Extraordinary Young Women. She saw them become the first in their families to go to four-year colleges.

Davis also spent two years as president of Women in the Giving Spirit, a group that "checks its egos at the door," she said, and raises money for nonprofit groups.

"She has a reputation for getting things done, and in a room full of extraordinary women, that says a lot," said Teri McNally, executive director of the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region. "Our community is lucky to have her."

Davis was a charter member of the foundation's Women and Girls Fund, which hopes to create an annuity by having 1,000 women donate $1,000 each. She recently offered to put together bylaws for the group and develop a new board to guide the fund, which gives grants to area programs that help women and girls.

"We're very excited to have her put to use all the talents that she possesses," McNally said.

HER WORK 'WAS A GIFT'

Davis is more than just a board member who attends meetings. She tries to limit her service to two boards at a time so she can devote the necessary hours to each.

For instance, she just finished her two-year chairmanship of the United Way. As head of the board, she automatically belonged to the agency's eight committees and attended as many meetings as possible to understand their mission.

Davis often is still up at midnight, drafting emails about plans and ideas. She sometimes sends out the notes the next day because she doesn't want others to think she's one of those people who's up at all hours.

"I often get emails from her at 11, 12, 1 o'clock in the morning," Donohue said. "She puts so many hours into her work, it's almost like she's another staff member."

Davis had been a volunteer with the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence and recognized the group needed a more cheerful office space and a fresh name.