Donor Spotlight: Kate and Andrew Davis

This year, we are excited to be honoring Kate and Andrew Davis at Through Farms & Fields. Philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and supporters of conservation on the East End and beyond, Kate and Andrew have spent their lives helping to advance critical solutions to vexing problems within communities and around the world.

With a focus on conservation, health sciences, education, and the arts – each in their own ways and together – Kate and Andrew have provided resources and support to many organizations, including the Peconic Land Trust.

When asked, Kate and Andrew joined us in protecting the 100-acre Broad Cove Preserve in Aquebogue, NY, a former duck farm in the Peconic Bay Estuary that was about to be sold for resort development. Their substantial gift to the project helped the Trust acquire the land in anticipation of a partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This support came at a crucial time and is just one of their recent conservation efforts to protect the East End and beyond.

The Davises have also been instrumental in looking for – and funding – solutions to water quality issues in our coastal ponds especially within the Georgica Pond Watershed. Kate, who grew up part time in East Hampton, has a personal connection to the waters around Lily and Georgica Ponds.

Through the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, they are helping the Trust acquire and protect key parcels in the watershed as well as support research and mitigation strategies to improve the quality of these sensitive waterways – solutions that will have broader implications for ponds and watersheds across the East End. This includes research and mitigation measures that the Trust is undertaking with Stony Brook Center for Clean Water Technology, Cornell Cooperative Extension, The Perfect Earth Project and the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation.

“Finding solutions to the water quality challenges that are facing many of our East End ponds and bays is of utmost importance to us. We are excited to partner with the Trust in this endeavor,” said Andrew in 2022 when we announced the acquisition of 2.7 acres along Jones Creek.

In addition to the Peconic Land Trust, the Davises are dedicated supporters of many philanthropic organizations in New York, Long Island, and beyond. Andrew serves as Vice Chair of the Central Park Conservancy and sits on the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian, the Southampton Hospital Foundation, and is Vice President of the East Hampton Historical Society Board of Trustees. Kate’s board positions include the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy and the Administrative Board of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she co-chairs the Annual Campaign. She also serves as Chair of the Children’s Advisory Council at New York-Presbyterian. Kate is a member of the Design Review Board for the Village of East Hampton. Both Kate and Andrew focus their philanthropic efforts on contributions towards building a strong health care foundation in their communities, such as the new Emergency Department in East Hampton, creating possibilities for conservation of land and outdoor spaces, and supporting the preservation of local history, especially in East Hampton.

Kate and Andrew love to spend time outdoors with their combined five children. The whole family enjoys tennis, skiing and SCUBA diving together. Andrew is an avid cyclist and he and Kate often bike together throughout the East End.

Please join us in honoring Kate and Andrew for their commitment and dedication to conservation and healthy communities.