CHRIS DUDLEY

PARTNER, SOUTHERN GROUP, TALLAHASSEE

The Southern Group is the largest lobbying firm in Florida, with regional offices throughout the state and the Southeast. As a founding member, Dudley has been a leader in the firm for the past 25 years. He’s also heavily invested in the community, serving on the Hancock Whitney Bank Board of Trustees, the Maclay School Board of Trustees, the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services and the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority.

EDUCATION: University of South Florida (BA)

FIRST JOB: Working in the parts warehouse of a Lincoln Mercury dealership. It was the summer of my freshman year in high school, and I wanted to save enough money to buy my first car. (I got there with a little help from my dad.)

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I would become a constitutional law professor. I would focus on teaching future legal minds while researching the evolving interpretation of foundational rights that would allow me to combine education, policy and advocacy — making a lasting impact on both legal systems and civic understanding.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: I am currently pursuing a lifelong goal by earning a master’s in legal studies from the Vanderbilt University College of Law.

PASSION PROJECT: I am fascinated by the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence in every aspect of our lives. … As part of my student status at Vanderbilt, I have enrolled in a credential course to learn more about AI. It is definitely my new passion project.