Black Soil

2025 UNITY AWARD

A native of Lexington, KY, Ashley C. Smith co-founded Black Soil: Our Better Nature, an agribusiness with a mission of reconnecting Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture in August 2017.

Under her leadership as COO, Smith rebranded the company to Black Soil KY to reflect its broader impact in agriculture regionally, nationally and globally. Currently, as Executive Director, Smith leads the one-of-a-kind Black woman-owned agribusiness which specializes in procurement, sourcing, grant writing and education for Kentucky Black farmers, chefs and makers representing 0.7%.

Smith has brought forth barrier breaking inclusivity to Kentucky agriculture and its local food system by centering Black farmers and elevating their visibility and perpetuation of Black farming and land ownership. An award winning and nationally recognized company, Black Soil KY has invested over $1.5 million into Kentucky’s tiny, yet mighty Black farming sector since 2017 through strategic partnerships, product placement and cooperative economics.

Her industry leadership includes the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Agribusiness Industry Council, Kentucky Black Farmers Conference founding organizer, Kentucky Black Farmer Fund founding member, Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Workgroup, and farming consultant to agriculture coalitions and alliances in Indiana, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Smith holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the University of Kentucky. She is the proud mother to fraternal twins, Caroline and Trevor, Jr.

Laurel Martin | Junior Achievement

2025 UNITY AWARD

Laurel Raimondo Martin has served as the President of Junior Achievement since 2020, bringing with her 34 years of experience in higher education and the non-profit sector. Previously, she held the role of Associate Vice President for Advancement at Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) and served as the Executive Director of the BCTC Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition, Laurel has ten years of experience as an adjunct professor, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses on subjects such as Organizational Leadership, Business & Organizational Communication, Strategic Planning for Managers, Organizational Management, Group & Organizational Behavior, and Organizational Ethics.

Laurel earned her BS in Home Economics from the University of Kentucky, an MEd in Counselor Education from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in Leadership, Organization, and Policy from Vanderbilt University.

Active in her community, she is a past president of Bluegrass Tomorrow, Lexington Children’s Theatre, and Junior League of Lexington Board of Directors. Currently, she serves as president of the Rotary Club of Lexington, a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and the Kentucky Financial Empowerment Commission.