Episode 22: Dr. Chris Hudson

On this episode of the Lone Star Deep Dive, your regular host is traveling, so Jenny Inzerillo is filling in for Tonya with an interview about Texas Senate Bill 37 (SB 37), which was passed by the 89th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025. The bill, effective September 1, 2025, with most provisions applicable from January 1, 2026, concerns the governance of public institutions of higher education in Texas.Today’s guest for episode 22 is Dr. Chris Hudson, a professor of English at Amarillo College who also happens to have served in the state house in a former life. (He was the Director of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee AND the Chief of Staff for State Senator Judith Zaffirini – the dean of the Texas Senate.) He’s also the current president of the Factulty Senate at Amarillo College -- well, until SB 37 kick in on September 1st of this year, effectively dissolving it. He also serves as a representative for the Texas Community College Teachers Association .Dr. Chris Hudson, Professor of English, holds several degrees from the University of Texas at Austin: a BA, Plan II (Philosophy); MA, Latin American Studies; and PhD, English. He has been teaching at Amarillo College since 2018, where he has also worked on the AC Rank, Tenure, and Promotion Committee; Faculty Senate (Senator 2023-24, Vice-President 2024-25, President 2025-26); and various other department and college-wide committees. He also directs the Creative Mind Lecture Series. Before AC, he taught at UT Austin, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (where he chaired the Languages and Literature Department), and WTAMU. He teaches Freshman Comp I and II, American Literature, Shakespeare, and Selected Topics (Border Literature, Southern Gothic and Grotesque Stories, and the Stories of George Saunders). An Amarillo native, he has lived in Austin; San Antonio; New York City; Xalapa, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil; and Indiana. While in Austin, Dr. Hudson worked as Director of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and Chief of Staff for State Senator Judith Zaffirini, Dean of the Texas Senate. His interests include contemporary literature, politics, and rowing.