Why one sousaphone-playing tech specialist loves his job in Birmingham

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Growing up in the Powderly Hills area of southwest Birmingham, Chris Davidson played a lot of music—and continues to do so today. Since 2013, he’s been working at United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) as a technology specialist, but his music plays an important part, too.

Keep reading to learn why he loves where he works and the award he recently won.

Meet Chris Davidson

(L) Chris Davidson, 2nd from left, with his parents + 5 of his 6 siblings; (R, center) Playing sousaphone (Chris Davidson)

Chris Davidson was born and raised in Powderly Hills as the youngest of seven children—he has three older brothers and three older sisters. He’s a proud graduate of both Wenonah High School and Alabama State University.

Since high school, he’s played the sousaphone in a number of bands. You’ll often find him playing at churches around town or with the UWCA band (he’s a founding member). He loves everything about music, sports, outdoor activities and motorcycles.

He’s currently married with a daughter and a son, and counts family time as the best time. They attend Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Brighton when he’s not playing music somewhere else.

When he was growing up, his eldest brother worked on computers, and if something broke, he’d fix it.

Following in his big brother’s footsteps, Davidson discovered he loved breaking down computers—that’s what he’s been doing ever since.

Davidson first became aware of UWCA through mail that came to his grandparents’ house asking for donations.

During the government shutdown of October 2013, he was doing some local IT work to stay busy when a recruiter reached out about a position at UWCA. He’s been working there ever since, and hasn’t looked back.

See what positions are currently open at United Way of Central Alabama + apply today.

A day in the life of a technology support specialist

Chris Davidson’s official title at United Way of Central Alabama is Technology Support Specialist II, which means he’s a tier two-level technician. 

Depending on the time of year, what he does each day varies greatly, from dealing with basic systems to warding off cybersecurity threats. 

The organization’s annual campaign season, though, is where it all comes together:

“During UWCA’s campaign season, we normally work miracles with the eServices department, resource development and finance department to make sure everything is running smoothly. We try to eliminate or minimize hurdles as best we can.”

Chris Davidson, Technology Support Specialist II, United Way of Central Alabama

What Davidson loves about his job + UWCA

Davidson’s favorite thing about working at United Way of Central Alabama is his coworkers—especially the ones he’s been with since day one. He said they feel like family, and he’s met a large number of friends at the organization through the years. 

He also genuinely loves what he does, and loves the feeling he gets from helping others in the community.

“UWCA allows me to do what I love to do and be who I am while working together with others to serve the community. It’s a win-win, and it doesn’t always feel like work.”

Chris Davidson, IT Support Specialist II, United Way of Central Alabama

To anyone who’s thinking of applying for a position at UWCA, Davidson says “Go for it”:

“United Way is a great place to work. If you want to give back to your community and make a difference in people’s lives, that directly aligns with our core values which are putting people first, serving our community and doing the right thing.”

Chris Davidson, IT Support Specialist II, United Way of Central Alabama

United Way of Central Alabama is hiring—check out open positions today.

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