Author Profile

Patrick Franklin is a recognized visionary and vibrant community leader who successfully transferred and expanded corporate management, operational expertise, interpersonal skills and business acumen to the nonprofit industry.  With a passion for uniting people and organizations to help others in need, he is adept at expressing complex ideas clearly and concisely, gaining the trust and cultivating support with constituencies at all levels, including boards of directors, funders, community partners, staff and clients.  A notable advocate, bridge builder and voice of the community, he is an active member on prominent local boards as another way of expressing and extending an unwavering commitment to leading and serving others.

Patrick is currently the President and CEO of the Urban League of Palm Beach County, Inc. (ULPBC), a nonprofit affiliate of the National Urban Leage, serving in this capacity since 2002.  He took the helm of what was then a fledgling affiliate,  and through vision and leadership revitalized and restructured the organization to deliver on its mission of “Empowering Community and Changing Lives.” Today the ULPBC has a staff of 36 FTE, 7 PTE and a total operating budget of $5.5M, serving over 17,000 clients annually. He accomplished this goal by focusing on reestablishing community trust and building relevant programs with an emphasis on process and results.  Through successful implementation of 3-year strategic planning cycles, he has sustained ULPBC operating budget growth of 15 – 20% per year for the past six years and has a GuideStar rated “Platinum” certification. Demonstrated excellence in fundrasing has delilvered proven results with over $400K in cash and $600K in-kind donations raised annually, along with thousands of hours of volunteers who support the mission.  Through leadership and mentoring he has realized other major accomplishments namely, a multi-year national award winning NULITES youth group, creation of a secondary non-profit for housing development,  secured funding for existing and new program funding in all core areas of service, transformed core housing devision first time homeowners to pre & post foreclosure business during the 2008 housing crisis, while continuously expanding and improving facilities to serve more clients. 

Prior to joining the ULPBC, Patrick spent more than 13 years with Motorola in Boynton Beach, FL, in numerous management roles in the areas of community relations, program management, operations, production, engineering and quality.  During his tenure he achieved many accomplishments, including improvements in productivity, cost, quality, safety and on-time deliveries by providing leadership and direction with regard to structural, staff, management and process changes. In one of his final roles, he managed a staff of over 350 production/associate managers, engineers and direct labor, which delivered over $190M in annual sales.  However, it was his last role as Community Relations Manager and Chairman of the facility’s United Way Campaign that ignited his passion for nonprofit work.  In four consecutive years, Patrick was able to raise over $350K for the cause with the same percentage of employee donations, despite significant continuation in workforce reduction.

Patrick began his career as an Exploration Geophysicist with Shell Oil in New Orleans, LA.  During a short four-year tenure, Patrick and his geologist partner co-founded one of Shell’s largest and most important oil and gas reserve finds in the Gulf of Mexico.  The project’s code name was “Prospect Mars,” and is chronicled in the history of oil and gas exploration and production.

Patrick graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.   While working at Motorola, he completed a Master’s of Business Administration from Florida International University in Miami, FL. 

For his community work, Patrick is honored to be the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.  Patrick has lived in Boca Raton for over 30 years with his wife and entrepreneur Rachelle, and is the father of three children, Morgan, 26, Lena, 24, and Miles, 18.