25 Women for 2023: Dana Dudley urges others to 'take the opportunities'
Dana Dudley lives by a simple motto: live on full, die on empty. “There was a time when I was giving everything to work and getting burned out,” she recalls. “I wanted to give life all I’ve got so I don’t have any regrets. I'm passionate about using my God given abilities to help others in whatever capacity I can.”
Her life is definitely full. In her role as Chief Operating Officer of the Pittman Law Group and ESPMedia, she is at the center of the action, wearing many hats to manage everything from day-to-day operations to philanthropy and governmental affairs. “Every day is different, and I love it,” she said. “We have great days and good days. No days are bad, because we can always learn from them.”
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As Pastor of New Harvest Christian Center, she leads a dynamic congregation that chose her as their leader after the sudden death of her predecessor. “Every day I hope that I will learn something new and that I’ll be able to help someone achieve a goal,” she says. “We all have the opportunity to make the world and our community a better place, and my inspiration comes from wanting to use the skills, gifts, and talents that God has given me.”
Serving as the Executive Director of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, Dana manages chamber councils and leadership teams to promote and empower minority-owned businesses. Now, she can also add to her list being named as one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know.
And none of it was what she expected. “I planned for a career in financial services,” she laughs. She earned a degree in Finance from Florida State University and set out to work in corporate finance. “But, life changes and new opportunities come!” She traded a single-focused career for a broader approach to purpose and never looked back.
When volunteering, Dana has a special focus on serving children and families in need. “I look for organizations that aren’t getting help from many other places,” she says, “and where their values line up with mine.”
Recalling evenings spent at the HOPE Community to host a game night for the resident families with fellow New Harvest Christian Center members reminds her of her blessings. “That opened my eyes to so much, because I had not realized the importance of having a home, a bed with clean sheets to lie down in. It reminded me that to whom much is given, much is required.”
Dana also serves the youth of Tallahassee as an advisor through her membership in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. supporting, among others, March of Dimes Walk for Babies, American Cancer Society Relay for Life and Sickle Cell Foundation’s 5K Run/Walk for Sickle Cell Anemia. She champions the Girl Flo Project, founded by a member of her sorority’s youth auxiliary, saying “I want everyone to know that they have support in reaching their dreams.”
Her husband of 26 years, Reggie, is her biggest cheerleader. “He always pushes me to be the very best that I can be,” she said. She strives to continue the legacy set by her parents of working hard with integrity and teamwork. “Knowing that I'm a role model for my daughters and so many others who are in community with me or will come after me inspires me.”
A few weeks ago, Dana preached a sermon titled, “Shoot Your Shot.” “We get so caught up waiting for the perfect circumstances or moment that we can miss the everyday opportunities to connect with someone, do something unique, share a coffee, write a poem, reflect in a journal, or have spontaneous moments with family,” she says. But you don’t need to wait for the perfect moment to shoot your shot. “I encourage people to take the opportunities when they come, seize them, because we don’t know if they will ever come again.”
Dana’s life is full – full of compassion, energy, integrity, love, and family. And while she may plan to die on empty, it’s hard to imagine that she will ever truly run out.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 25 Women: Dana Dudley urges taking 'opportunities when they come'
