Derrick Dickey, Principal

Derrick Dickey has spent nearly two decades honing his craft. His unique skillset has been developed, strengthened, and tested through a diverse range of opportunities. From campaign war rooms to corporate boardrooms, there’s hardly a predicament he hasn’t seen up close and personal. All of these firsthand experiences, many that went as planned and a few that left scars, provide invaluable insight for Derrick’s clients as he helps them navigate the pitfalls of a highly competitive and increasingly complex world.

After five years in Washington, D.C. serving as Chief of Staff for United States Senator David Perdue, Derrick recently returned to consulting fulltime with Dickey Strategic Relations (DSR), the company he founded in December 2006. His time in “The Swamp” provided even more tools to ply in his trade after rejoining the private sector. However, his inspiration for DSR, the fully-integrated communications shop that receives his personal attention to detail, came during his time working for another Perdue- current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.

Dickey’s first big break was with Sonny’s underdog campaign for Governor of Georgia in 2002. He was part of a young, hungry team that was completely unaware they were supposed to lose that election. After the upset victory, Derrick spent the better part of four years in the Governor’s Office learning to digest complicated policy issues and simplify them for persuasive messaging to the public. He left his official post in mid-2006 for the re-election campaign where he served as the primary spokesman and helped develop media and political strategy for Perdue’s overwhelming win.

While on a beach in the Caribbean spending his win bonus, Dickey sketched out the market niche he would soon fill with his new business. He made a list of ten potential clients he thought he could help from his time in Governor’s office. When Derrick got back to Atlanta- tanned, rested, and ready- he started making calls. He got halfway through the list before his first callback and his first client. Dickey never technically completed those original ten cold calls, and his business has thrived based on referrals ever since.