Wayne Francis

Director, Community Employment Programs • Columbia University • New York City • Age: 37

Given his experience with community outreach, Wayne Francis is a natural as the director of Columbia University’s Employment Information Center office serves as a resource center for area residents and other applicants seeking employment opportunities at the university. Francis has fully automated the office, minimized costs, helped to diversify staff and provided employment opportunities for positions from entry level to supervisory and management.

Before joining Columbia, Francis was diversity outreach director at the American Diabetes Association. Upon leaving the ADA, he was presented with two awards for his volunteer leadership with the organization: a community service award for African-American Volunteer of the Year and the national “Three C’s” award. He also has received service awards from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, a Masonic order of which he is a member, and from Communities In Partnership Corp., a company he co-founded to assist community organizations with their fundraising efforts and to help businesses to promote their products and services to the community. Last September, Francis founded Safire Marketing Group L.L.C. to help nonprofits and small businesses in fundraising, grant-writing, proposal development and the preparation of business plans.

Francis graduated from Hunter College with a bachelor’s degree in history and from Brooklyn College, where he graduated magna cum laude, with a master’s degree in guidance and counseling. A father of two boys, he also is an accomplished writer. His articles were published most recently in Proud Poppa magazine, which promotes positive role models of fatherhood in the Black community, and in Journey into my Brother’s Soul (Kimani Press), an anthology of works by Black men. Francis is community oriented through every aspect of his life. “My love is my community,” he said. “Everything I do at work and in my home life, I always try to link back to my community.”