Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson

Best-selling author of Witness to Grace: A Testimony of Favor, Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson continues to preside over three locations of the thriving historic Grace Baptist Church, including more than 4,000 members nationwide. A graduate of Virginia Union University, Dr. Richardson received his divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and his Doctor of Ministry as a Wyatt Tee Walker Fellow from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Dr. Richardson was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, then subsequently into its International Hall of Honor. He has preached across the world and has served on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. Dr. Richardson is chairman of the board of National Action Network, Conference of National Black Churches, and Virginia Union University. He serves with many organizations, including Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal Joint Diversity Council, and Grace Community Development Corporation. He formerly served as a director for Pepsi Cola (Ethnic Advisory Board) and the Harvard University Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute for Church-based Community and Economic Development.