UK ALUMNA
Dawn Kelley IS MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE A SPOONFUL OF ALMOND BUTTER AT A TIME
Photo by Matthew Robbins Photography
By Ann Blackford
L
exington native Dawn Haden Kelley will tell you that she never considered attending college anywhere other than the University of Kentucky. Although she didn’t have a laser focus on what major or career path she wanted to take, she had dreams of one day creating something to make the world a better place. After graduating from UK in 1993 with a degree in political science, she took her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for making a difference in the world on the road. It ultimately led her to running a small, struggling almond butter brand, and taking it to the top as the third largest and fastest growing almond butter brand in the U.S. This pretty much sums up Dawn Kelley’s path to Barney Butter in a nutshell, or more specifically, an almond shell.
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K E N TUCKY A LU MN I MAG A ZIN E Winter 2021
A self-described Kentucky girl, Kelley remains true blue to her home state where most of her family still reside. She’s an enthusiastic sports fan and although she currently resides in Maine half the year and Florida half the year, she comes home to Kentucky when she can for UK games and Keeneland. Kelley has had several major influences in both her personal and professional life which play an integral role in her success in the business world and perhaps even more so when she took the reins at Barney Butter. Raised by a single mom, an entrepreneur in her own right, in advertising and radio station media, Kelley grew up around the type of business sense and work ethic that it takes to be successful in the business world. An avid reader, Kelley says if there is a business book, she’s probably read it.
