Mistress of Ceremony Ms. Darrlynn Franklin

Ms Darrlynn Franklin currently serves as the President of the Alexandria Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and has been a member Executive Committee since 2017.

Darrlynn was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas where she learned the importance of serving her community. She has been a resident of Alexandria, Virginia for the last 12 years After graduating from High School, she attended the University of Kansas where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration Furthering her education, she attended American University in Washington, DC where she received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a focus on Public Policy

Today, Darrlynn is committed to the city of Alexandria where she enjoys being heavily involved in the community She is a member of Alfred Street Baptist Church, where she serves as co-lead of the Criminal Justice pillar within the Social Justice Ministry of the church She also serves as Secretary of the Alexandria Independent Community Policing Review Board which receives concerns from the community regarding policing in Alexandria; reviews of their Police Department investigation concerning certain incidents and complaints

Darrlynn is also a board member of Agenda Alexandria, a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed debate discussions on a wide variety of local issues. Darrlynn is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

In 2016, the Virginia Black History Month Association decided to move its premier event to the city of Alexandria It was then that Darrlynn became a member of the association, and worked tirelessly as an advisor to the President to ensure the smooth transition of the event to northern Virginia

She has a distinguished career as a Senior Lead Proposal Manager for Lumen Technologies Group where she also serves as the Secretary of the Alliance for Black Technology Professionals (ABTP) which supports diversity in the workplace

She is also an active member of the distinguished Association for Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and the Women in Technology organization whose mission is to gain greater recognition and stature for women in technology