Wesley Franklin 

Community impact director, American Heart Association

Age: 39

Spouse: Karen Franklin

Children: Harper Franklin

Accomplishments that make you deserving of being a Forty Under 40: 

  • Received the American Heart Association's Health Strategies Award of Excellence in 2019 and 2022.

  • Received the American Heart Association's Midwest Emerging Leadership Award in 2022.

  • Received the McKinsey Academy's Black Management Accelerator Award in 2022.

  • In 2019 and 2023, successfully launched a community health initiative in collaboration with Mercy College of Health Sciences and Grand View University's respective nursing departments by providing hypertension education and awareness to targeted communities of need in Des Moines.

What's your biggest passion, and why?

Helping people find a comfortable start in wellness and work toward a progression. Better quality of health equals more time with loved ones.  

What are your goals in your role at work?

  • Help build a culture of health and wellness for organizations.  

  • Build and identify new corporate and community partnerships. 

  • Establish relationships with company human resources/benefits/wellness staff.

  • Develop sustainable health initiatives that are geared toward building community and clinical partnerships. 

What are your goals in a role outside of work?

I am currently a second-year doctoral student at Drake University. I am working toward obtaining my Ph.D. in education.

Tell us about an experience or memory that influenced how you see the world or what you want to do in life.

I played collegiate rugby at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. I got injured during my second season, requiring surgery on my right foot. The recovery and physical therapy treatment that I received was supportive, and I enjoyed how the therapists and medical staff guided me to complete a full recovery to where I was able to return to the field the following season. That experience helped solidify my passion for helping others, which guided me to pursue and eventually obtain my bachelor's degree in health and exercise science in 2007. 

What are your aspirations for the future?

I would like to grow within my role as a community impact director and oversee operations within health strategies. 

What's one piece of advice you'd give to a young professional?

Learn to accept all types of feedback. The ability to reflect on feedback and demonstrate improvement may help you gain the trust of co-workers and managers.

What is one thing you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address, and why?

Healthy equity is key. One of my focus areas within my role for the American Heart Association is making sure all walks of life have the resources they need to maintain a healthy life. I would like to see how Central Iowa leaders can strategize or incorporate this priority within their respective fields in the future.  

What's one fun fact about you?

I play two musical instruments, the violin and piano. 

Hobbies: Green Bay Packers football, working out at the gym and watching my daughter participate in Taekwondo.

One word that describes you: Outgoing.

What is your favorite local restaurant? Cool Basil. 

Name one book, podcast, movie or show you love. “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

What is your go-to activity to do in Central Iowa in the evenings or during the weekend?

Collecting sports cards.