MS. Cleola M. Davis

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired)

​​Inspiring Success. Leading Change. Sharing Expertise.

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BIOGRAPHY

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Cleola M. Davis is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel, author, and social impact entrepreneur. She is the author of the memoir Forged in Battle: African American Officers Serving in the United States Army, published by New Degree Press in 2022, and the founder and CEO of Forged in Battle, LLC, a North Carolina–based company.

 

Founded in 2023, Forged in Battle, LLC initially served as the market management and promotional entity for book sales. In 2024, the company expanded its mission to operate as a financial grant apparatus supporting select Black veteran-owned small businesses and struggling nonprofit foundations. This expanded mission operates under the moniker FIBa (Facilitate, Inspire, Build, Advance), with the purpose of facilitating, inspiring, and building small businesses within international communities. All proceeds from the sale of Forged in Battle: African American Officers Serving in the United States Army are reinvested to support FIBa initiatives.

 

Early Life and Military Career

A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Lt. Col. Davis is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she received her commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) into the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. Her specialization focused on logistics planning and operations.

 

During twenty-two years of distinguished military service, she held numerous staff and senior leadership positions, including a combat command assignment during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Her military decorations include numerous medals and awards, among them the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in a combat zone.

 

Post-Military Leadership and Service

Following her military retirement, Davis served as a senior logistics analyst with the U.S. Army Materiel Command in Northern Virginia and at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Her continued commitment to public service and equity earned her recognition as the 2015 North Carolina Woman of the Year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 

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In 2016, she served as Special Assistant to the President of Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina.

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From 2023 to 2025, Davis served as State Chair of the North Carolina NAACP Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Committee, where her work focused on advancing equal justice in the distribution of veteran benefits and services.

 

Through her writing, and entrepreneurial efforts, Cleolacontinues to forge pathways for service, and sustainable community advancement.