W. Franklyn Richardson is Senior Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in the City of Mount Vernon, New York, and Chairman of the Board at Virginia Union University, his alma mater. He also serves as chairman of the boards of the National Action Network and the Conference of National Black Churches. Richardson earned his divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School and his Doctor of Ministry as a Wyatt Tee Walker Fellow from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Mentored by Dr. Sandy Ray (a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker (Dr. King’s chief of staff), Richardson has received numerous honors and accolades. Two notable distinctions include induction into The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers and The International Hall of Honor by Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a recipient of The Alumni Award for Distinction in Congregational Ministry from Yale University. Dr. Richardson is married to Inez Nunnally Richardson and lives in New York.