Erroll B. Davis, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 5, 1944, to Erroll B. and Eleanor B. Davis. Elaine E. Casey was born on September 27, 1943, in Akron, Ohio, to Joseph and Abbie E. Casey. Erroll and Elaine met in the seventh grade in Pittsburgh. They wed while Erroll was in the U.S. Army stationed in Warren, Michigan, and Elaine was a teacher in the Wilmington, Delaware school system. They married in Pittsburgh on July 13, 1968, while Erroll was on a weekend pass.

Erroll graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (then known as Carnegie Institute of Technology) in 1965 with a B.S. in electrical engineering, followed by an MBA in finance in 1967 from the University of Chicago. Erroll was commissioned as a Second Lt. upon graduation from Carnegie and served in the U.S. Army from 1967-1969.

Elaine graduated from Cheney University (then known as Cheney State College) with a B.S. in education/special education. She received a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Michigan in 1971.

Erroll’s corporate career started with stints on the financial staffs of ARCO, Ford Motor Company, Xerox and Wisconsin Power & Light Company, where he rose to CEO of the successor company, Alliant Energy. His subsequent careers in education included assignments as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia and Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.

Erroll has been a member of numerous corporate boards: General Motors, BP plc, PPG Industries, Sentry Insurance, the Puerto Rico Power Authority, and Union Pacific Railroad.

Elaine was the Senior Student Services Adviser for the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before becoming the Director of Student and Career Services in the Department of Political Science.

Erroll and Elaine have had extensive community involvement, with both holding board and committee leadership positions in various United Ways over the years. Both have been involved in Rotary International as well.

Elaine has served as chair of the Atlanta Metropolitan College Foundation and the Davis Family Foundation. She has served on the Rialto Center for the Arts Advisory Board, the Madison Repertory Theatre Board and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County (Wisconsin) Board. She currently serves on the Atlanta Ballet Board of Trustees and is also an active member of ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation.

Erroll is on the national board of PBS and also serves as chair of the Advisory Committee to WABE/ATL30. He is a member and past chair of the board of trustees of Carnegie Mellon University and serves on the advisory boards of INPO (the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations) and the Atlanta Ballet.

Erroll and Elaine have a son Christopher, who is a musician in Brooklyn, New York, and a daughter Whitney, who is a small business entrepreneur in Atlanta, Georgia.

Erroll and Elaine established the Erroll and Elaine Davis Family Fund in 2021, reflecting their commitment to the accurate portrayal of Georgia history.