Rich Davis is a seasoned security executive with over four decades of leadership in aviation security, risk management, and business continuity. He spent forty years at United Airlines, including twenty-two as Chief Security Officer (CSO), where he oversaw global security strategy encompassing physical security, crisis management, regulatory compliance, investigations, and insider threat programs. His leadership safeguarded passengers, employees, and operations across more than 350 destinations worldwide. In 2015, Security Magazine named him one of the most influential people in security.

Given civil aviation's status as a primary terrorist target, Davis worked closely with the FBI, U.S. State Department, DHS, TSA, and the Intelligence Community. He served on the State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and the FBI's Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) from 2007–2018, including DSAC's Executive Committee from 2010–2018. In 2023, he received the prestigious George P. Shultz Award for Excellence for his outstanding contributions to OSAC.

Davis chaired Airlines for America (A4A) six times and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) twice. He joined the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Unmanned Aerial Systems in 2018. He served as President and Board Member of The Security Foundation (TSF) and is a Sr Security Advisor to International SOS, ACTS Aviation Security, and Ontic.

A graduate of DePaul University, he holds a Bachelor's Degree in History and remains active as a mentor to emerging security professionals.