“Vision-Fueled Leadership, Rooted in Integrity and Innovation”
Ashley Milner is a dynamic, multidimensional executive whose career spans almost three decades of entrepreneurial, advisory, and leadership excellence across real estate, agriculture, construction, restaurant management, and business development. With a keen eye for innovation, a gift for negotiation, and a drive rooted in ethics and transformative vision, Ashley has shaped her career by building organizations, brokering complex deals, and guiding diverse stakeholders toward shared success. Her strength lies in her rare ability to pivot across industries, apply analytical rigor, and adapt her strategies in response to shifting landscapes—all while maintaining a deeply human approach to leadership.
Ashley is a team player who naturally assumes the leadership role with ease and grace. Her professional journey began from the ground up in the restaurant industry: she started as a dishwasher in Colorado at age 18, and became the assistant general manager over multiple restaurants for a small restaurant chain in less than a year. During this time, she began copywriting for an exclusive Italian wine importer, where she constructed the shelf talkers for retail wine sales and the flyers for restaurant distributions. Through her marketing mastery, she ripened the wine importer’s brand recognition and significantly scaled their American market share.
Ashley’s sharp understanding for the importance of a solid academic foundation, her personal dedication and a commitment to excellence inspired her to attain a full academic scholarship. She later earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with dual specializations in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Central Florida. There, she developed not only her technical proficiency in financial modeling and deal structuring, but also her interest in how businesses can creatively solve market and societal needs, all within a balanced budget. Her passion for multidisciplinary learning led her to pursue a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Construction Management from Everglades University, deepening her command over infrastructure systems and project lifecycle leadership.
Her career was a tapestry of civic-minded creativity and organizational stewardship. Between 2008 and 2011, while also earning her undergraduate degrees, Ashley worked as a business development consultant and grant writer, securing over $750,000 in grants and more than $150,000 in fundraising for non-profits and cultural institutions. During this time, she co-produced landmark events like the inaugural Winter Garden MusicFest, the bi-annual festivals for Mount Dora Center for the Arts, and provided sommelier services for local restaurants. As an on-site commercial real estate agent, she developed, marketed and managed The Windhorse, an 8-acre multi-use facility, designed to support a small community of alternative healing modality practitioners, music, and the arts. These efforts showcased her ability to bridge public-private interests and orchestrate small- and large-scale community initiatives with diplomacy, attention to detail, and a passion for impact, while balancing high-level education aspirations.
Ashley’s ascent into the real estate development world between 2011 and 2014 marked a critical inflection point in her executive path. She oversaw complex commercial and industrial portfolio developments, navigating GSA contracts, simultaneously managing multiple pre- and post-construction projects across Central Florida, and leading negotiations with municipalities and federal entities. Ashley’s work with Lamm & Co. Partners and municipalities exemplified her skill in harmonizing public-private partnerships and executing high-value design-build projects. Her proudest achievement from this era was the procurement of Maitland City Centre, where she brought various opposing entities to the table, and ultimately finalized the deal with everyone in aligned agreement. The project began as an asbestos-laden strip mall directly across from Maitland City Hall, and became an entire city block, luxury six-story mixed-use complex on top of a multi-level subterranean parking deck. Ashley’s vision and her pre-construction pitch resulted in inking the deal, and the team quickly amassed the $64,000,000 initial outlay for the acquisition and development of the project, which evolved into ongoing average annual revenues of around $14,000,000, demonstrating her ability to take a project from conceptualization, through many challenges, leading to operational success.
A natural innovator, Ashley co-founded Prime Legacy LLC in 2014, where she combined her agronomic curiosity with her entrepreneurial edge. Through rigorous research and development, she co-created and filed provisional utility patents for organic agricultural systems and water safety equipment. Her firm white-labeled heirloom seed gardens and redefined how sustainable practices could meet consumer demands in the agritech space. Her leadership was marked by a deep commitment to environmental integrity, functional design, process transparency, and building strategic business partnerships.
In 2020, Ashley launched Phytologic LLC, a Florida-based edible plant nursery and research firm. With a CAGE Code designation indicating eligibility for federal contracting, Phytologic is more than a nursery—it is a hub of innovation for integrated agricultural systems, water quality improvements and soil restoration practices. Supplying hermetically curated plant varieties from tissue culture to essential oil producers, her work has involved not only horticultural acumen but also systems thinking, compliance navigation, and market positioning. Her firm reflects her larger mission: to cultivate resilient ecosystems through business practices that are regenerative, ethical, and grounded in knowledge.
Ashley holds a host of professional certifications that bolster her multifaceted expertise, including a Florida Real Estate Broker Associate License, 6-20 All Lines Insurance Adjuster License, OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety Certification, and an active Florida Notary Commission. In addition to her detailed due diligence practices, producing proformas and feasibility studies, she is also a former Associate of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and has conducted forensic accounting and preliminary investigations for clients in Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana—demonstrating her precision-driven, legally grounded approach to business integrity.
Beyond the technical, Ashley embodies a rare form of leadership that balances high-level strategy with the nuances of human connection. Her eidetic memory and mnemonist capabilities allow her to digest complex regulatory, financial, and contractual information with exceptional speed. Yet it is her adaptability, empathy, and values-based leadership that earn her trust among teams, clients, and communities alike. She is as comfortable in a boardroom as she is leading site evaluations in agricultural fields or negotiating cross-sector deals.
As an active member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Ocala Marion County Association of Realtors, Ashley remains deeply embedded in industry networks. She also brings a wealth of governance insight, having interfaced with boards, municipalities, and federal agencies. Now, as she positions herself for strategic board service, she brings with her a unique blend of entrepreneurial depth, financial acumen, policy fluency, and cross-functional perspective.
Ashley’s personal passions—horseback riding, organic gardening, propagating plants, developing advanced culinary skills, and building businesses—mirror her professional ethos: a reverence for nature, a commitment to nurturing growth, and a love for visionary design. Her values are as enduring as her career: family, community, resilience, and integrity. With 27 years of diverse experience and a heart for sustainable progress, she is a natural fit for any board seeking transformative leadership with grounded insight.
Character
Ashley’s integrity is unwavering, whether negotiating multimillion-dollar contracts or championing sustainable agriculture. Her leadership reflects humility, resilience, and a service-oriented mindset that uplifts teams and communities alike.
Knowledge
Her formal education in finance, real estate, and construction, combined with licensures and certifications, equips her with the technical foundation to navigate complex industries. She supplements her knowledge with continuous learning, systems thinking, and hands-on innovation.
Strategic
Ashley blends macro-level vision with micro-level execution, turning ideas into tangible, scalable solutions. She excels at cross-sector partnerships, deal structuring, and leading organizations through transitions with agility and foresight.
Communication
Whether presenting to municipal leaders, producing events, or guiding clients through complex contracts, Ashley communicates with clarity, empathy, and purpose. Her multilingual capabilities and eidetic memory further enhance her ability to bridge diverse stakeholders.
