Photo: Tasha Dooley, Baltimore Business Journal
Franklyn Baker is a cross-functional senior executive with nearly 30 years of diverse expertise in non-profit organizations. He has been president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland since 2016. Under his leadership, the organization has experienced measurable shifts in culture by championing equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as tremendous growth in revenue, people served, innovative programs, volunteers engaged, and much more. During his tenure, United Way has expanded its homelessness prevention and family stability sites, spearheaded new educational equity initiatives, and launched the development of two new Family Centers providing affordable childcare and early childhood education in Columbia and Poppleton.
Baker focuses on collaborative partnerships that amplify the voices and
power of community leaders and residents to strengthen the lives of families and individuals across central Maryland, as well as the neighborhoods they call home. Baker’s leadership, as well as United Way’s impact and focus on high-need communities, were factors in philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s decision to award the organization a $20 million unrestricted donation in 2020 – the largest gift in the organization’s nearly 100-year-history.
Prior to United Way, Baker held executive leadership positions at
Greenpeace USA, Volunteers of America Chesapeake, and more. Baker
earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard
University and a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the
Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. He serves on and has chaired multiple nonprofit boards including Baltimore’s Promise, My Brother’s Keeper Baltimore, Parks & People Foundation, Results Baltimore, Maryland Access to Justice Commission, Unity Healthcare, Truist Bank, the Center Club, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and others. He is also a member of United Way Worldwide’s Network Advisory Council. He has been married to his wife (Michell) for 27 years and they share a 21-year-old daughter (Gabriell). He loves sports, reading and swimming.
Some honors/awards include:
2024 – Charming Citizen Award, GreenLight Fund Baltimore
2023– Baltimore GameChangers Award, Baltimore Magazine
2023 – Most Admired CEOs List, The Daily Record (2nd time awarded)
2022 – Influential Marylanders Award, The Daily Record (2nd time awarded)
2022 – Community Partner in Excellence Award, American Red Cross
2022 – Black Marylanders to Watch, Baltimore Sun
2022 – Maryland’s Power 100 List, The Daily Record (2nd time awarded)
2021 – Power 10 List, Baltimore Business Journal
2021 – Most Admired CEOs List, The Daily Record
2021 – Maryland’s Power 100 List, The Daily Record
2020 – Leaders in Diversity Award, Baltimore Business Journal
2019 – Leadership in Diversity Award, Greater Baltimore Committee
2019 – Bridging the Gap Award, Greater Baltimore Committee
2018 – Influential Marylanders Award, The Daily Record
2017 – 100 Leaders to Watch, Baltimore Business Journal