Loretta K. Davis
Executive Director
The Retreat
Already an accomplished professional when she joined the Retreat in 2015, Loretta Davis, along with her team, has grown the organization into an important resource across Suffolk County in the area of domestic violence abuse prevention and education. The Retreat has been helping adults and children impacted by violence and abuse with free services, as well as emergency shelter since 1987. Under her leadership, Ms. Davis has secured new sources of public and private funding, provided strategic and management guidance and launched numerous new programs to better protect and serve Retreat clients. Pro bono attorney representation of clients has been increased, and more clients have been served including a growing number of children impacted by family violence. A flexible and nimble approach to the pandemic brought new technology to the agency which made remote services and programs possible. Virtual lifesaving counseling and legal services were able to reach a larger community of clients in need.
A 24/7 spokesperson for the survivors of domestic Violence, Ms. Davis oversees a skilled staff of over 60 professionals, offices in East Hampton, Riverhead and Hauppauge and a committed volunteer Board of Directors. Ms. Davis and other members of her team speak frequently throughout the community on issues related to both prevention of domestic violence and what to look for in someone in crisis.
Ms. Davis was a judge in New York State for over 19 years and has a strong understanding of the court system as well as a commitment to address the legal issues faced by survivors. She clerked for a Federal Judge in the Southern District of New York, worked on Wall Street and worked at a nonprofit agency that was instrumental in helping Long Island families recover financially and emotionally from Superstorm Sandy.
A resident of East Hampton, Ms. Davis is an avid hiker and takes full advantage of the beautiful beaches and woodlands of the East End. She believes that those especially in helping professions need to take time to breathe, and encourages her friends and all of her staff to practice wellness because they give back to so many.