Kentuckiana native Andre D. Smith, Jr. is a purpose-driven executive that leads as founder and visionary of non-profit, Three Kings Ministries Inc. established in 2021. The organization's name pays homage to Smith's maternal ancestors, and his brothers which collectively the three have united along with their sister to improve their communities.

​

As a life-long community builder his desire to formalize his non-profit work originates from his personal spiritual journey of healing from past traumas and witnessing innumerable youth, specifically racially diverse males ages 12 to 21 that are often caught between systemic issues of socioeconomic disparities, complexities of displacement, identity, belonging, and societal pressures of engaging in counter-success juxtaposed to good-decisioning making. 

 

Through implementing the core “King Values” within enrichment activities and social emotional learning 3 Kings Ministries Inc. dismantles obstacles and stigmas one challenging conversation at a time. 

 

Smith’s career as a Residential Treatment Coordinator, Child Empowerment Program Lead, advocate, and change agent across entities such as Home of the Innocence, YMCA of Greater Louisville, Evolve 502, and Metro United Way to name a few, have well established over a decade of lived and professional experience that bolsters his abilities to walk into any room and identify solutions to problems of today’s youth. 

 

He additionally has served as a licensed minister since 2017 within Southern Indiana and has garnered support from civic leaders across theological perspectives within both Pentecostal and Baptists denominations. 

 

His well versed fatherhood sensibilities and entrepreneurial spirit are not attributed to his previous academic pursuits at Walden University or solely on the shoulders of his years of service within the nonprofit sector. Most significantly Smith actualizes his purpose to reach and transform the lives of young men as a foster parent of now well over 40 youth since he began in 2017. 

 

Providing a trauma-informed safe-space for his foster children to reestablish belonging, academic achievement, self-esteem, healing, mentorship, career readiness, and ultimately their own values of fatherhood as community leaders, is his life’s mission in full motion. 

 

His assessment of the vast hurdles faced by young men is matched with an even larger heart for Christ-centered social good. 

 

After strategic planning, expanding his vision and the vested support of community members in Southern Indiana and Louisville, KY, 3 Kings Ministries Inc. will launch programming across two satellite campuses in Summer 2024.