Maria Davis

Maria Davis was appointed to the Industry Representative seat for the Entertainment Commission in March 2024. She has been the sole owner of St. Mary’s Pub since 2011, San Francisco’s oldest post-prohibition bar. In 2016, Maria became a founding member of the Stud Collective, which make up the ownership of San Francisco’s oldest queer bar, The Stud. Under Maria’s leadership, St. Mary’s Pub became a San Francisco Legacy Business in 2018, following in the steps of The Stud, which was granted Legacy Business status in 2017. During the COVID 19 pandemic, she became active in the San Francisco Venue Coalition and the Independent Venue Alliance, advocating to save small venues from closure. Maria is passionate about preserving historical bars, nightclubs, and music venues, as part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco. 

Maria grew up in the music scene, immersing herself in the arts and attending live music from a very young age. She found her home in the queer/punk community, and worked as a performer for several years. In 2004, she graduated with a split degree from Tufts University and The School for the Museum of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and later graduated from The Art Institute of New England for interior design. 

Since moving to San Francisco in 2008, Maria again, found family in Bay Area nightlife and the LGBTQ community. She is a long-time Bernal Heights resident, and proud parent to her daughter Odessa, a Leonard Flynn Elementary student. Maria is also a prolific writer, and considers San Francisco her greatest love story.