Ag Career Profiles: Social Media and Graphics Coordinator

Alexis Smith
Social Media and Graphics Coordinator
Kentucky Department of Agriculture

As the social media and graphic coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), Alexis Smith has the pleasure of creating content daily to elevate the importance of Kentucky’s farm families and their impact on our everyday lives. She also helps coordinate KDA’s print and digital graphic design content.

Alexis graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s in agricultural economics and a minor in business management.

“I fell in love with learning all about Kentucky’s abundance in commodities and the hard work and dedication our state’s farmers have for their work,” she remembered. “I knew I wanted to be someone to help elevate their message and show the rest of the world the side of their lives on the farm many don’t see."

“When I was in high school, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I started out taking my prerequisites while trying to explore as many career paths as I could by job shadowing. Growing up in a tech-savvy world, I found myself particularly interested in helping others be successful in their businesses, especially on the marketing side. Throughout college, I taught myself numerous skills to successfully manage social media platforms, design websites, and create brand identities and marketing materials. Pursuing these skills helped me be successful in my role at the KDA by knowing how to be efficient with my time, create engaging content, and help spread the mission of the Department through print and digital marketing channels.”

Regarding additional skills that help her in her work, Alexis says she loves to learn new things.

“I’m someone who thinks that we can never stop learning no matter what role you’re in or how long you’ve been in it,” remarked Alexis. “Although I took a few marketing classes in college, I took numerous online courses through Hubspot and Skillshare and took advantage of the wide array of free knowledge available on YouTube, which I continue to do because the marketing world changes daily. Through these tactics, I taught myself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to benefit my digital content creation and InDesign, which benefits the Department’s print marketing materials. My daily responsibilities are always different so learning how to manage time efficiently and stay organized is essential in almost any role you take.”

When asked if there were something she would have done or studied differently if she knew she would end up in this career, she said that there’s always going to be a path you take in your life that you could have never prepared for.

“I think that’s the best thing about having an open mindset and taking advantage of as many opportunities as you are presented. If I knew I would end up in social media and graphic design, I definitely would have taken more marketing classes like graphic design, story-telling, and photography.”

Alexis said her favorite part of her job is getting to represent the voices of those in the ag community.

“I love getting to tell the stories of our farm families, capture their pictures, and spread the message of how important agriculture is in our daily lives. I also enjoy creating flyers or brochures and pursuing projects that challenge my skills, making me better in my role.

Her advice to other young people looking for careers in agriculture is to have patience.

“If you wish to pursue anything in marketing or communications, know that what works one day may not work the next day. Always be up for the challenge to learn new things every day. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice. Always be willing to learn and expand your skills because even though you may be studying one thing today, you may end up being in a role you never imagined you’d be in.”