(She/Her/Hers)

Portsha P. Franklin is a community leader whose purpose is centered on education and generational-shifting work, focusing on young people ages 18-25. She is the Senior Director of College and Career Pathways at the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston/Brighton. She values helping young people work towards their college and career goals and find meaningful academic and professional pathways to support themselves and their families. Portsha has worked in higher education for almost ten years and serves her community in a variety of different roles, including Board of Trustees at Roxbury Community College, Chair of the Community Grants program, and President of the Scholarship Ministry at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church (Roxbury), and Scholarship Committee Member for the Boston Alumni Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is also a recent Boston Neighborhood Fellow with The Boston Foundation. She has participated in several community grant review projects to keep the voice of after-school programs and young people at the center of funding opportunities. Her work and service to her community have always focused on advancing black and Latino young people and families who need support in exercising their voice. She is a proud HBCU graduate of Bethune-Cookman University (BS, Accounting) and also holds degrees from Belhaven University (Master’s, Public Administration) and Boston University (Master’s, Higher Education). Portsha enjoys reading mystery novels, cooking, and traveling. Portsha resides in Chelsea with her husband, Art Gordon, their daughter, Jaxyn, and their cat, Alpha.