Kevin Dodson a father of four from Loganville, GA., is our Lead Dad of the Week.
An Army veteran, Kevin is a chief information security officer married to a school teacher. He’s involved in his community and is a musician at his church. He chefs up a mean squash and zucchini with turkey smoked sausage over rice for his younger kids, 7 and 11. “That’s my way to get them to eat healthy,” he said.
Twenty years ago, it was a different story. He was homeless from 2001 to 2003 and his oldest son, now 33, was living with his aunt. “I had moved across the country to be close to him,” he said. “I got into college. I was tired of the you’re overqualified but under-educated line. Three college degrees later, I’m a chief information officer for a company called Convergence.”
His older children live in Indiana. His younger ones are with him and his wife in suburban Atlanta. He embraces being a Lead Dad – something made possible by COVID when he lost one job and found another that was remote.
“My kids get to see me work here every day,” he said. “They see what I’m doing. We get to talk about it. It’s super cool to be here with them.”
Being present as a father has been key for Kevin. His dad wasn’t around when he was young and his stepdad was not a model parent. “I knew I wanted to be around,” he said. “I wanted to be here for my kids.”
Now 51, he’s also allowing himself to open up more as a man and a father. “I was more hands-off, and I didn’t hug my older kids as much,” he said. “Now I’m hugging my younger kids all day long. Somewhere along the line, I became more comfortable with showing affection.”
Welcome, Kevin, to The Company of Dads.
