Assistant Vice President at Kansas State University and President of the Center for Imagineering Leadership. He spoke to the staters about leadership and how to be successful. His complete presentation is presented below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ZLk5pRW5o
Dr. Franklin is a passionate urban community leader and a consultant to educational institutions, health and wellness organizations, organizations serving youth and families, and the civic and business community. Most recently, Dr. Franklin served as the President of Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley in Kansas City, and the President of Junior Achievement of Middle America (KCMO).
A 1976 graduate of Kansas State University, Franklin is considered one of the first African Americans to be elected student body president on a predominately Caucasian campus in the U.S. Franklin went on to make Kansas history books by becoming the youngest person ever appointed to the Kansas State Board of Regents at 24, and the youngest Chair of the Board at age 28. Franklin has been a Fellow for the Study of the United States Presidency, and has served on an advisory commission to the Carter Administration with Martin Luther King III and other prominent young African Americans.
Franklin was employed at A.T.&T. and Commerce Bank in Kansas City, MO, and at Frost Bank in San Antonio, TX. In 1984, he began his higher education career at the University of South Alabama as Director of Student Activities & Minority Student Affairs, and followed with a similar position at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. He served as Assistant Dean of Student Life & Director of Leadership Development Programs at his alma mater, KSU (1990-96).
At the National Center for Fathering, Franklin served as Vice President and Urban Director (1996-99), where he was on the cutting edge in establishing education programs to urban men. He completed a two-month journey to West Africa (Ghana and Ivory Coast) to research the fathering heritage of African American men for an unpublished book. He was presented the Vision Award for his “pioneering work in the area of educating men on the importance of fatherhood” by the Morehouse College Research Institute.
Franklin served as Assistant to the President at Donnelly College (2001), an urban Catholic college serving the very under-served. Most recently, Franklin serve as Executive Director of Kauffman Scholars (2003-05), a $70 million, 20 year initiative funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to guide and support urban Kansas City 7th graders to high school graduation, and college graduation.
Franklin was the 1992 recipient of the American College Personnel Association’s Roberta Christie Essay Contest with a topic of “Teaching, Educating and Developing Men: The Missing Piece in Student Development Education in Colleges and Universities.” Dr. Franklin has advised and worked with undergraduate men’s fraternities and other male organizations for over 20 years. He coordinated the annual African American Male Symposium at Kansas State University from 1991-1996. He presented “In Search of the Missing Piece: Men’s Issues in Leadership Development” and “African American Men at Risk” at the 1991 Summer Leadership Symposium sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation and the University of Maryland-College Park. Both of these papers have been published as resources of the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs, University of Maryland-College Park. He was selected chair of the College Men’s Development Task Force of the Standing Committee for Men, ACPA, 1992-1994. Recognizing Dr. Franklin’s expertise in men’s development, in 1994 he was invited to participate in a U.S. Department of Education–Dwight D. Eisenhower Program, entitled “Empowering the Next Generation: New Approaches to Leadership and Leadership Development.” Currently, he is a faculty member of the Center for Leadership Development, sponsors of the annual National Student Leadership Conference in St. Louis
Franklin has served as a member of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs professional counseling team. He was appointed by the Mayor of Kansas City, KS to co-chair the Mayors Task Force on Race and the Latin American Community, exploring ways the Latino and African American community could work together.
Franklin has twice been honored one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans in Kansas City (1998, 2009). His work and contributions to urban boys was recognized in the opening chapter of Bill Cosby’s new book, “Come On People” (2008). The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce honored him with their distinguished Leadership Award (2009) for contributions to urban education. The Kansas City Downtown Council awarded Franklin as an “Urban Hero” for his work in public education (2009). Most recently, Franklin was awarded the MLK “Living Legacy Award” from MidAmerica Nazarene University (2011).
Franklin served on numerous local and national boards of directors. He is currently a board member of Reaching Out From Within, a organization providing KS inmates with transformational support. He is also past president of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, an International social men’s college/alumni Greek organization. Franklin has served on the board of Truman Medical Center, and as the Midwest region chair of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee (2005-2010), and the Community Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of KC. Finally, Franklin was a member of the Mayor’s Bi-State Innovation Task Force which has the charge of recommending how the Google Broadband fiber technology will be rolled out in the KC urban communities.
Franklin has an MS in Counseling and Behavioral Studies (1989, University of South Alabama), and a Ph.D. in Counseling and Higher Education Administration, with an outside emphasis in Family Studies (1996, K-State). Franklin has served as a higher education consultant and has advised numerous local, national and international organizations on a wide range of education, leadership, diversity, urban father and family issues, and is regarded as a leader in articulating the daunting challenges facing the urban community. Franklin has a Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certificate from the Missouri Department of Mental Health (August 2014); and a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (Attachment Disorder) Training Certificate (TCU, October 2012).
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