History was made in Kansas City when Dr. Ashton Sellers acquired the Hickman Mills Animal Hospital, becoming the first Black woman to own an animal hospital in the area. Her achievement is not just a personal milestone — it is a landmark moment for a profession where Black representation remains strikingly low, and for a community that now has both a trusted healthcare provider and a visible example of Black excellence in business leadership.
Dr. Ashton Sellers Becomes First Black Woman Animal Hospital Owner in Kansas City
Dr. Sellers’ acquisition of Hickman Mills Animal Hospital marks a new chapter for one of South Kansas City’s long-standing veterinary practices. By taking ownership of an already established clinic, she ensures that the surrounding community retains access to stable, high-quality animal care — while simultaneously making history as a Black woman business owner in a field where such representation has been almost invisible.
The numbers behind that invisibility are striking. Less than 3% of veterinary practitioners in the United States are Black, making Dr. Sellers’ presence as an animal hospital owner not just notable but genuinely rare. Her achievement provides a powerful and concrete blueprint for young students of color in the Midwest who may be considering a career in veterinary medicine but have rarely seen someone who looks like them at the top of the profession.
She spoke candidly about what the shift into ownership has meant for her perspective and sense of responsibility.
“Once you move into ownership, it’s just a whole different ballgame because now it’s you. From the minute somebody walks in the door, it’s your business, your staff; these are your patients, and that just comes with a different mindset that you have to have.”
The Tuskegee University Education Behind a Historic Achievement
Dr. Sellers is a proud alumna of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine — the only HBCU in the country that trains veterinarians, and one of the most historically significant institutions in American veterinary education. Her training there is not incidental to her story. It is central to it.
For decades, Tuskegee has been the primary pathway into veterinary medicine for Black students who might otherwise have found the profession’s doors closed to them. The mentorship, the specialized education, and the community of Black veterinary professionals that Tuskegee cultivates have produced practitioners who go on to do exactly the kind of history-making work Dr. Sellers is doing in Kansas City.
Her journey from Tuskegee to animal hospital ownership is a testament to what happens when specialized education meets personal determination — and it reinforces the ongoing case for the indispensable role HBCUs play in producing professionals who serve and transform their communities.
A Vision for Community-Centered Veterinary Care in South Kansas City
Dr. Sellers’ ownership of Hickman Mills Animal Hospital is not simply about maintaining the status quo. She has articulated a clear vision for what the clinic can become under her leadership — one that centers community access, modern medical capability, and the kind of neighborhood-rooted care that has defined the hospital for years.
Her plan includes modernizing the facility’s diagnostic capabilities and investing in the latest medical technology, ensuring that urban pet owners in South Kansas City do not have to travel outside their neighborhood to receive advanced surgical or preventative care. That commitment to keeping high-quality services local is a direct response to a gap that many underserved communities know all too well.
At the same time, she has been deliberate about preserving the community feel that has made Hickman Mills a trusted institution. The goal is expansion without alienation — better tools and broader services, delivered with the same warmth and neighborhood familiarity that local pet owners have always come to expect.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Black Veterinary Professionals
Beyond the clinic walls, Dr. Sellers has made community investment and professional mentorship a core part of her vision for the hospital. She actively participates in outreach programs and regularly invites local students to shadow her at the clinic — giving young people a firsthand, demystified look at what a career in veterinary medicine actually involves.
That kind of visible, accessible mentorship matters enormously in a profession where Black students may go through their entire educational journey without encountering a single Black veterinarian in a leadership role. Dr. Sellers is changing that reality — one shadow experience at a time.
“It’s about more than just medicine; it’s about being a pillar in the community where people see themselves reflected in the leadership,” she said.
Those words encapsulate the full scope of what her ownership of Hickman Mills Animal Hospital represents. The clinic is not just a place where pets receive care. Under Dr. Sellers, it is a statement about what is possible when Black women are given — or create — the space to lead. And for South Kansas City, that statement is now permanently written into the fabric of the community.