Patrick-franklin
Speaker Bio
Patrick Franklin never thought he'd be where he is today.
Certainly not 10 years ago last month; when he finally accepted the job as "interim" chief executive officer of the Urban League of Palm Beach County.
After all, he had already turned the job down three times when he finally decided to take a phone call during the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans.
But Franklin, 51, did answer the call.
The storied Urban League had been rudderless for years and needed a strong hand to right the ship. And Franklin, at the time, figured that he could help guide the community nonprofit organization and help develop its mission - for a short period.
"Ten years has gone by very fast," Franklin said from his office on North Australian Avenue this month, just weeks after launching the Comcast Digital Connectors program. Working with cable giant Comcast, the program is intended to "bridge the digital divide" for youths and adults.
It's programs like this that have kept the former Motorola engineer and Shell Oil geophysicist on as Urban League chief.