Caroleene Dobson has always believed in the power of roots. Raised on her family’s fifth-generation cattle farm in Monroe County, she grew up in a small town where neighbors looked out for one another and hard work was a way of life. 

Those early experiences instilled resilience, humility, and a sense of responsibility—values that would guide her through every stage of her journey.

An English teacher at her rural high school was one of the first to push her to dream beyond the familiar. With that encouragement, Dobson applied to Ivy League universities and was accepted to Harvard College, where she studied History and Literature. 

At Harvard, she honed her ability to think critically, write persuasively, and approach challenges from multiple perspectives. She went on to Baylor University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and served as articles editor of the Baylor Law Review. 

For Dobson, those achievements were never simply about personal advancement; they were about making the most of the support and opportunities she had been given.

Coming home to Alabama

After law school, Dobson practiced in Texas, where she met and married her husband, Bobby. 

Yet when she was expecting their first child, the pull of Alabama became impossible to ignore. 

“There was nowhere else I’d rather raise my kids than Alabama,” she has said. 

In 2019, the couple returned to Montgomery, where they are now raising their two daughters, Philippa and Lydia.

Returning home was not only a personal decision but also a deliberate choice to invest in the place that shaped her. For Dobson, Alabama represents both heritage and possibility. She has spoken openly about the “brain drain” that often drives young people away, taking their talents and ambitions elsewhere. 

At the same time, she sees extraordinary potential in the state’s natural resources, its people, and its traditions. 

Her hope is to help create more opportunities for families so that future generations can thrive in Alabama without feeling they must leave to succeed.

A career of impact

Professionally, Dobson has established herself as a respected attorney and shareholder at Maynard Nexsen. 

Her practice focuses on natural resources, commercial finance, and real estate law—fields that demand both technical expertise and a broad understanding of how business, land, and community intersect. 

She has guided clients through complex conservation easements, negotiated multimillion-dollar real estate transactions, and earned recognition in “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America” for her work in banking, finance, and real estate law.

When asked about her proudest accomplishments, Dobson pointed to the balance she’s found between her roots and her career.

“I am proud to be a product of rural Alabama and grateful to have a career that allows me to raise my own two children within an hour radius of where I grew up. I am thankful for Maynard’s teamwork culture oriented on client service, and as a transactional attorney specializing in commercial real estate, I am motivated by the tangible nature of this area of the law,” she said. 

“Collaboration, civility and creative problem-solving are values instilled in me growing up in an agrarian community, and those same values are the hallmarks of being effective in real estate law. Advocacy for my clients must be balanced with constructive steps that move towards a positive outcome for everyone involved, and I’m proud of the clients I’ve helped grow and expand their businesses, creating jobs and helping Alabama’s economy.”

Inspired by women

Dobson is quick to acknowledge the women who shaped her. 

“I have been blessed with many wonderful female role models throughout my life, from my childhood educators to law firm colleagues to the tremendous examples of female public servants we have in this state,” she said. 

But the strongest influence was her mother, Lynne Hardee. 

“My mom, in addition to helping run our family farm alongside my father, operated her own physical therapy clinic in rural Wilcox County and was involved in numerous civic organizations—everything from serving as state president for the Alabama Cattlewomen’s Association to teaching Sunday School at Beatrice Baptist Church every week,” Dobson said.

“She did all this with virtually no childcare and had homecooked meals on the table every evening to boot. One of the most natural nurturers I’ve ever known, she did all this with genuine joy and gratitude.”

That example of service and commitment, Dobson explained, continues to guide her. 

“Whether she was helping a homebound patient of hers learn to walk again or encouraging me and my sister with a tough homework assignment, her true investment in a better outcome for those she was assisting was contagious and served to motivate and inspire.”

“In both my legal practice and as an aspiring public servant, I know how important it is to show that I care about a better future for our state and the next generation, and that sense of commitment drives me to demonstrate that in every interaction I have,” she added. 

A mother’s perspective

Despite her professional accomplishments, Dobson most often describes herself in terms of family: a wife and mother. She calls her daughters her “most precious gifts,” and motherhood has only deepened her sense of purpose. 

“My father has always said, ‘You live for your children,’ and since becoming a parent, I cannot agree more,” she shared. 

“Bobby and I are so blessed with two healthy daughters, and whether I am helping a new business break ground in Alabama or running to be our next Secretary of State, I wake up every morning thinking about how I can ensure that my girls and all the children in this state have a safer and more prosperous future.”

Her advocacy has also extended to issues that affect families across the state. She has spoken candidly about the importance of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), calling it a “God-given technology” that has brought the miracle of life to friends and loved ones in Alabama. 

For Dobson, it is not an abstract policy matter but a lived reality – an example of how modern medicine can support the most timeless human hope: starting and building a family. 

Her compassion has also been shaped by loss. She has shared the story of her godbrother in Montgomery, who died of a fentanyl overdose. 

The tragedy left a lasting mark, reminding her that addiction is not confined to certain communities or families – it is a struggle that reaches across lines of class, geography, and circumstance. It is also a challenge that requires both determination and empathy to address.

A vision of leadership

When asked about leadership, Dobson is modest. 

“I don’t know that I am a ‘great leader,’ but I strive daily to lead in the ways God has intended me to,” she said. 

“To me, this means exercising first, humility in knowledge that all gifts come from God; second, gratitude to God for those gifts; and third, confidence in the knowledge that God has given each of us unique gifts and talents to serve Him and our communities. Timothy Keller once said, ‘True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. I stop thinking about myself altogether.’ In this day and age of selfishness and extreme individualism fostered by social media, we should all think about ourselves less, listen to our neighbors more, and above all, seek ways that we can fulfill God’s purpose for each of us.”

For Dobson, Alabama provides fertile ground for that vision of leadership. 

“We are blessed in Alabama to by and large share the same values—faith, family, hard work and humility—and desires—a better future for the next generation. By focusing on these goals and less on ourselves, there is no end to what we can accomplish with God’s guidance.”

A Woman of Impact

Dobson’s impact is felt across multiple spheres: as a lawyer helping businesses and landowners navigate complex challenges, as a public servant working to protect Alabama’s natural resources, and as a community leader advocating for families and opportunity. 

What unites all of these efforts is her belief that Alabama’s best days are still ahead.

She speaks with equal conviction about conserving natural resources, strengthening families, and creating opportunities for young people. 

Each of these priorities is connected, and together they form her vision for a stronger Alabama – one where rural and urban communities thrive, where families have the support they need, and where the state’s heritage becomes a foundation for future growth rather than a relic of the past.

Grounded in her rural roots, guided by faith and family, and driven by a determination to give back, Caroleene Dobson has become a leader whose influence extends far beyond her own achievements. 

For her, success is not measured by accolades or titles but by the opportunities she helps create for others. That perspective, and the steady example of her life, are what make her a true Woman of Impact.