Hobbs is a longtime Southfield resident and a graduate of Southfield-Lathrup High School. He earned a degree in elementary education from Michigan State University and went on to receive his master’s degree in education administration from MSU. He also completed the bipartisan Michigan Political Leadership Program.

Hobbs taught in the Detroit Public Schools system and later became a teacher in Southfield public schools. He was elected to the Southfield School Board in 2004 and served for four years.

He worked for Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s administration as a policy adviser to Lieutenant Governor John Cherry, concentrating on statewide educational and economic reform. Most recently, Hobbs worked on behalf of Oakland and Macomb County residents as the District Director for U.S. Congressman Sander Levin.

Hobbs has served on the boards of Botsford Hospital, the Birmingham YMCA and the Lathrup Village Community Foundation; on the Board of Reviews for Lathrup Village; and as a Youth Adviser for the South Oakland County NAACP. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.

Hobbs and his wife, Dedra, live in Lathrup Village with their daughters Amber, Alexis and Amyre.