Meet Joel Stone, executive director of the Farmer Family Foundation and a Cincinnati civic servant. Born in Louisville, Joel is a graduate of the University of Michigan and spent nearly two decades in private banking with Fifth Third Bank before taking the reins at the Farmer Family Foundation in 2025. He begins every weekday with an early morning workout and devotional, and says having faith and grit is the advice he imparts to others.

“I am motivated to be elite in my faith, elite as a husband, elite as a father, and ensure our children are raised in Cincinnati,” says Joel.

He credits his mother’s determination and drive as deeply impactful on his career, and appreciates her ability to balance being engaged with her kids and being a top business leader for Procter & Gamble. She also inspired Joel to be a highly engaged parent with his own children and a leader in every endeavor he takes on. To that end, he has served on the Cincinnati Ballet board, including as chairman for two years, the board of the Summit Country Day School, and the board and several committees with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Outside of his professional work, Joel is devoted to his wife Lisa and their children, Gabby and Gavin.

“I aspire to be a strategic leader with a passion for making Greater Cincinnati a Tier One Community we all are proud to call home,” said Joel.

That’s what makes Joel a 2026 Making Black History honoree.

What life experiences has most influenced your personal mission and purpose?

One of the most formative influences in my life has been watching my mother. She worked tirelessly to be a deeply engaged mother to my brothers and me while also excelling as a senior business leader at Procter & Gamble. She showed me that faith, discipline, and excellence are not mutually exclusive — they can coexist powerfully. From her, I learned what it means to lead in every environment you enter and to never separate professional success from personal responsibility. That example shaped my commitment to strategic leadership, community impact, and being fully present for my family.

What motivates you to keep moving forward in your journey?

I’m motivated by a desire to be elite — elite in my faith, elite as a husband, and elite as a father. Every day, I want to show up as the best version of myself for my wife, Lisa, and our children. I also feel a deep responsibility to help make Greater Cincinnati a Tier One community that we are all proud to call home. Through my work in philanthropy and service on local boards, I’m driven by the belief that we can create real, lasting opportunity — particularly in education, health care, and economic mobility. Faith and grit fuel that motivation and keep me focused for the long haul.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

More than titles or accomplishments, I hope my legacy is reflected in my family and in the people I’ve helped make better along the way. I want my children to understand what it means to live with integrity, faith, and discipline — to be elite not for recognition, but in how they love, lead, and serve. If I’ve helped strengthen this community, empowered others to reach their potential, and modeled what it looks like to lead with purpose, then I will consider that a life well lived.

That legacy of strategic philanthropy, strengthening families, and leading with faith, grit, and purpose is what makes Joel G. Stone a 2026 We Are Making Black History honoree.