My Town: Shelly Davis

my town: my home

SHELLY DAVIS - SISKIYOU MN BSN-RN PHN CCHP / Siskiyou County Health & Human Services / Director, Public Health Division / Director of Inmate Health / Director of Nursing

My husband Drake and I are both Siskiyou County natives raised amongst the breathtaking view of majestic Mt. Shasta, and surrounded by the lush green mountains and crystal clear mountain lakes. We love to escape the day-to-day by boating at the McCloud Reservoir and lose ourselves in all of its beauty. I love the true four seasons that we experience: newly born springtime, hot sultry summers, a burst of warm colors in the fall with warm days and cool nights and then move into the winter wonderland. Living in Yreka, we are an equal distance to many mountain lakes and rivers, and a mere 3.5 hours from the gorgeous Oregon coast.

Aside from the beauty of Siskiyou County, it also brings with it the small-town charm that I have grown to love. So many of us have been raised here and so many of us know each other and look out for one another. Our children have grown up together and have either gone off for work or college, and they often happen to stray back home, not just for the beauty of the area but also because it is truly home.

I had the blessing of really getting to know my community and neighbors, as I was a stylist in Yreka for 30 years as well as a salon owner. In 2007, I decided to hang up my scissors and take on a new career that would forever change my life, and to do so I needed a college degree. So at age 51, I had completed all courses at College of the Siskiyous to receive an AA and an AS degree and obtain my Registered Nursing license. I then attended Simpson University and earned my bachelor’s of science in nursing and healthcare management certification, and continued on to obtain my master’s in nursing leadership from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Ore., providing me with the skills and leadership qualities to take on the Director of Public Health position for Siskiyou County. All without ever having to leave my own hometown.

Fast-forward to January 2020, and the world’s first public health pandemic of our lifetimes, COVID-19. As the Director of Public Health, my wonderful team and I are at the forefront of this pandemic, and I couldn’t be prouder of every one of them. I have witnessed our communities come together in ways I had never dreamed, the tight collaboration between county, cities and nonprofits, businesses and citizens all working diligently to keep COVID from destroying our communities economically, educationally and physically. Siskiyou County residents have proven that they truly support one another and provide assistance to those in need, and I am extremely honored and humbled to be part of this community and feel truly blessed that I have been a part of it from the beginning, and will forever call Siskiyou County my home.