Tess Davis
Executive Director
Areas of Specialty
Cultural Heritage Law and Legal Consulting
Cultural Diplomacy
Heritage Tourism
Strategy Development
Public Policy and Government Affairs
International Organizations and Multilateral Institutions
On-the-Ground Programs and High-Level Events
Working Groups, Task Forces, and Coalitions
insights
about
Tess Davis is an Executive Director at Basilinna. She is also a not-for-profit leader, attorney, and scholar with over twenty years of international experience in cultural heritage and historic preservation. As Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, Tess oversees the organization’s mission to combat crime in the multi-billion-dollar art market, while also directing its award-winning think tank. In addition to serving as a legal consultant for the U.S. and foreign governments, she also frequently acts as an advisor to law enforcement, militaries, intergovernmental organizations, museums, and the responsible art market. She has been published in outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN, as well as top scholarly journals. She has spoken to the United Nations, G20, and U.S. Congress, and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Tess is admitted to the New York State Bar and teaches cultural heritage law at Johns Hopkins University. In 2015, the Royal Government of Cambodia knighted Tess for her work to recover the country’s plundered treasures, awarding her the rank of Commander in the Royal Order of the Sahametrei.
