Ashton Potter Wright
Lexington, KY – The city’s first local food coordinator, seeking to connect central Kentucky farmers with consumers in the area, has started on the job.
Ashton Potter Wright, a Lexington native and a doctor of public health from UK, started in the role on Monday making Lexington the second city in the state to have a position like this joining Louisville and its Farm to Table Coordinator.
“The goal is to grow the local agricultural economy while improving the health of local citizens by providing better access to healthy, locally grown foods,” Mayor Jim Gray said in a release.
Councilmember Steve Kay, the release states, worked to establish the position for three years. “Ashton will fill the gap between producers and consumers, improving connections at all levels, individual and businesses,” he said. “It’s a regional position. The consumers will be concentrated in Lexington, but Ashton will work with farmers and buyers throughout Central Kentucky.”
Wright will be part of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, but the pilot position is funded through a combination of agriculture development funds, private grants and $25,000 from the city.
She has previously worked on several initiatives to improve access to healthy food at both the state and national level. She recently completed a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where she served as the operations manager for First Lady Michele Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign.