Magazine publishing didn’t enter into Ashley Fox-Smith’s life plan when she graduated from LSU with a degree in English.
In 1983, when she was 13, her mother started Country Roads magazine on their dining room table, and Fox-Smith had absolutely no intention of following in those footsteps.
“I didn’t take a single journalism class at LSU,” she says. “I was more into literature and fine arts. I was not gearing myself to work with my mom. I was not a young woman who knew exactly what she wanted to do.”
Fox-Smith’s dream was far more romantic: a journey around the world, exploring art, literature and culture.
And she did just that—a work exchange program in Ireland, where she met her husband. She spent several years traveling through Europe and Australia, working odd jobs along the way. She taught in Dublin. She washed dishes in an Austrian kitchen, where no one spoke English.
Eventually, however, Fox-Smith grew tired of living out of a backpack. So back to Louisiana she went.
That was 16 years ago, and she’s been involved in Country Roads ever since. Fox-Smith is the associate publisher of the magazine, and her husband is the executive editor.
Her mother did instill in her an entrepreneurial spirit. And under Fox-Smith’s leadership, the magazine has more than doubled in size, and added a website, e-newsletters, custom printing and social media.
When the couple started working for Country Roads in early 1995, the magazine still published the old-fashioned way, printing stories and photos on special paper, running them through hot wax and manually cutting and pasting them onto the page using a light board.
Working with Baton Rouge graphic designer Anna Macedo, Fox-Smith and her husband introduced desktop design.
“While I am so thankful I got a glimpse into the way printing was done, we knew that it was time we took everything digital,” Fox-Smith says. “We did that within an issue or two of our arrival.”
Her mission today remains much the same as it was when she first arrived: producing a top-quality publication that highlights the culture of the region. And she does it with a team of just 10 people.
It’s her responsibility to make sound business decisions in a fast-changing industry, and continue to bring innovation to the magazine.
“Our industry is ever-changing, ever-moving,” she says. “Just staying on top of that is a big challenge of what we all do. There’s always something new around the corner in technology and the media.”
Fox-Smith also is a force in the community, serving on the advisory board for the LSU Museum of Art at a time when the Shaw Center for the Arts was emerging, and on the board of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. She’s involved in the Advertising Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, Women in Media Baton Rouge, and other professional organizations. She has been honored as one of Business Report‘s Forty Under 40 and with an Award of Excellence from Women in Media.
But her favorite role these days is being a mother to her 8-year-old daughter, Matilda, and 6-year-old son, Charles.
“Being a mom is just incredible,” she says. “I love, love, love my kids.”
