Bernard Franklin brings incredible knowledge and insightful personal experience as a role model to each audience he touches. His presentations are powerful experiences that inspire participants.

Dr. Franklin is President of Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley. This vibrant urban campus of 6,000 students is the flagship college of the 5 campuses that comprise the Metropolitan Community College of Kansas City.

At a young age Franklin demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and strong ambition. As an undergraduate at Kansas State University, he was the first African American elected President of the Student Government Association on a predominately white campus in the U.S. Franklin went on to make Kansas history 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.

At the National Center for Fathering, Franklin served as Vice President and Urban Director from 1996 to 1999, where he was on the cutting edge in establishing educational efforts to urban men. Franklin also served as Executive Director of Kauffman Scholars, a unique $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 then support them to college graduation.

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, Kansas State University).