[2] In 1990, Davis-Blake was hired by the McCombs School of Business[3] at the University of Texas at Austin[4] as an associate professor.

She was promoted to Chair of the Management Department,[3] and in 2003 became the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

[3][5] In 2006, Davis-Blake was appointed as Dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota[5] where she remained through June 2011.

On February 14, 2011, it was announced that Davis-Blake would become the new Dean of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, succeeding Robert J. Dolan.

Davis-Blake's academic service included editor positions with both the Academy of Management Review and Administrative Science Quarterly.