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Voices that Inspire

Hear stories from some of our most inspirational voices — you!

Pictured: Avery McKnight

Listen: Week of November 5, 2025

Transcript
What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. Avery McKnight, Counselor and Law. Since graduating from FSU College of Law, I've only had three employers, State Attorney's Office, Florida and University, and Alan Norton and Blue. I've been fortunate and now I'm back at Florida and I'm University as the Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel. The world is much different now. When I was competing for a job in the 80s and 90s, you know, you're competing against a person, these kids are competing against augmented intelligence. And nobody's probably still back to really analyze what AI is going to do to our workforce. Right, so we have to develop a set of skills, right? The knowledge, the skills and abilities to compete in a world that nobody is prepared for. I grew up in a small town south of here. People call it Hawke Town. Other people know it as Gainesville, Florida. My mom and my dad would tell their seven kids that as a family, we may not always agree, but we could never fail, never fail to come to each other's rescue. And what that produced in our lives, I think was the extension of an appreciation that we all we got. And so I think that having still that in my kids, who appreciate that the greatest among us must be the servant of all. Avery McKnight, counselor at law, vice president of Legal Affairs and General Counsel at Florida A&M University. If it ain't love, it ain't God because God is love. You're listening to voices that inspire.
Avery McKnight - The greatest among us must be the servant of all.

Avery McKnight is the Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Florida A&M University. He comes from humble origins in what used to be called, Hogtown. We now know it as Gainesville. He’s one of seven siblings. His parents have always instilled within him a passion for service.


Tell your inspirational story. Contact Kim Kelling at 850-645-6056 or kkelling@fsu.edu.