T’wina Franklin is a Director at University Place School District, an Academic Instructor for Metropolitan Development Council’s College Bound program at Stadium High School and was selected to receive the 2014 City Club Dennis G. Seinfeld Emerging Leader Award and the Tacoma Public Schools 2014 WASA Community Leadership Award. T’wina is Co-Founder of the female empowerment organization Ladies First, a military wife, and mother of four. She is a graduate of The University of Puget Sound and has her Master of Arts in Teaching and a degree in U.S. Politics. In 2007 she began teaching middle school science and by 2009 had her first experience consulting political campaigns for candidates including Tacoma City Councilwoman Victoria Woodards, Tacoma School Board Candidate Dr. Dexter Gordon, and Congressman Denny Heck. In addition to teaching and her work on political campaigns, T’wina is serving her fifth year as a board member for her children’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) in University Place School District, an active member of The Fund for Women and Girls board, City Club of Tacoma board, and in her 11th year of coaching cheerleading, currently for University Place Junior Viking Cheer.

T’wina Franklin TEDx Tacoma