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975 North Street, Suite 206
Jackson, MS 39202
United States

(601) 352-1160

The role of lobbying today is much more than shaking hands and taking legislators to lunch. Lobbying today is creating strategies for clients that accomplish their goals in the ever-increasingly complex public sector.

Just as a business needs legal and accounting counsel that, in most cases, is outsourced, so too do businesses need assistance in dealing with the various governmental jurisdictions and agencies that play a large role in regulating commerce.

Hayes Dent Public Strategies is a full-service public affairs firm. Our team is comprised of experienced problem-solvers with a record of winning results. Together our team has nearly over thirty years of experience in both the federal and state governments, political campaigns, public relations, grassroots advocacy, economic development, traditional lobbying, crisis management and business development. Throughout that process, we have built a strong network of contacts throughout the state of Mississippi, in Washington, DC and around the country.

Put this experience to work for you and go…Beyond Lobbying

Hayes Dent Bio 1

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Hayes Dent is President of Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC, a lobbying and governmental consulting firm. Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC represents clients before state executive and legislative bodies as well as federal decision-makers on a wide range of issues.

Prior to founding Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC, Mr. Dent served as Executive Director of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) from October 2001 through January 2004. The DRA is a newly created Federal-State partnership agency charged with assisting in the development of America’s Delta. The DRA consists of 240 counties and parishes in eight states that range from Illinois in the north to Louisiana in the south and Alabama to the east.

From 1989 to 1991, Mr. Dent worked in the Congressional Affairs Office at the United States Department of Agriculture as an appointee of President George H.W. Bush. From 1991 to 1999, Mr. Dent worked in various capacities for Governor Kirk Fordice. Those duties ranged from setting up and running Mississippi’s Washington, DC office to serving as the head of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, to finally serving as Governor Fordice’s Director of Legislative Affairs. Additionally, Mr. Dent served as Governor Fordice’s Alternate to the Appalachian Regional Commission on two different occasions during the Fordice Administration. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Dent worked in the private sector in the real estate development business.

In 1993, Mr. Dent was the Republican nominee for the United States Congress in the 2nd Congressional District of Mississippi. Since 1980, he has worked on the staff of Republican candidates in seven federal or state campaigns, including Governor Haley Barbour’s 1982 campaign for the United States Senate, and has been a senior-level advisor/volunteer on many others. While a student at the University of Mississippi, Mr. Dent served as chairman of the Mississippi College Republican Federation and served as a member of the Mississippi Republican Party State Executive Committee from 1996 to 2004. Additionally, Mr. Dent serves on the Board of Delta Wildlife and as a gubernatorial appointee and board member for the Mississippi State Veterans Affairs Board and the Yazoo County Port Commission.
Mr. Dent is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield/Storm, where the President awarded him the Bronze Star Medal.

A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Mr. Dent still lives in Yazoo City and is married to Carolyn Hutcheson Dent. They have three children, Hayes III, Margaret, and Kinkead, and belong to the First Presbyterian Church in Yazoo City. He is a graduate of The University of Mississippi and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.