About President Franklin
Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., a native of McCormick, South Carolina, is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Furman University. A licensed clinical psychologist, she completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Emory University, followed by a year-long clinical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Franklin, who became Des Moines University’s 15th president in the spring of 2011, has worked in higher education for more than 35 years. Previously, she was executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, where she oversaw academic and administrative departments. She held a professorship in Meharry’s department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
DMU President and CEO to Speak at Tina Talks Event
Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., president and CEO of Des Moines University, will be among the six speakers at the second annual Tina Talks hosted by the West Des Moines, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce. The event will occur on June …
DMU President and CEO to Speak at Tina Talks Event Read More
“Change in health care begins with you and me”: Glanton 2022
A man arrived by ambulance at a Chicago emergency room, labeled as a suspected drug overdose case. He’d actually suffered a stroke resulting from sickle cell disease, but the hospital staff believed otherwise simply because he was Black. “I wish …
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DMU names “Franklin Way” in honor of its president and CEO
Growing up in McCormick, SC, Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., was surrounded by loving parents and grandparents who instilled in her core values of hard work, discipline and the golden rule. From them, she learned that education is the way – …
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Des Moines University named a “2022 Great College to Work For”
Des Moines University (DMU) is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to The Great Colleges to Work For® program. Even better, the University achieved an additional special designation as an Honor Roll institution. The …
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Des Moines University honors those who give the ultimate gift
Denton Hopkins wants you to know about his older brother, Canyon Dane Hopkins. Widely known as “Moose” in his community, Earlham, IA, he had a heart that matched his physical size and athletic ability, from how he befriended less-popular kids …
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Honors for an “extraordinary servant leader”
This spring, DMU President and CEO Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., was honored by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. Approximately four miles south of Jordan Creek Town Center …
AACOM honors DMU President Angela Walker Franklin with Dale S. Dodson Award
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) honored DMU President and CEO Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., with its 2022 Dale S. Dodson, DO, Award, on April 29 during its annual conference in Denver, Educating Leaders, the largest gathering …
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Best. (One) Day (for DMU). EVER
When Des Moines University asked its alumni, employees and friends to make gifts in celebration of One Day for DMU, they responded in a big way. During the annual 24-hour event, from noon to noon April 20-21, 293 donors contributed …
You name it: Make your mark on DMU’s new campus
DMU’s new West Des Moines campus is still a work in progress, but Dave Kapaska, D.O.’86, M.B.A., and his wife, Mary Ann, already have made their mark on it by naming the Telehealth Room, to be located in the Innovation …
Beaming with pride
On a brilliantly sunny, first autumn day, Des Moines University’s new campus steering committee watched a white beam be “flown” to its permanent home in the uppermost southwest corner of the Innovation Building, under construction on an 88-acre site in …
Not even a pandemic can deter DMU’s 2021 graduates
After the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on their final year as DMU students, members of the Class of 2021 had plenty to celebrate during Commencement activities May 26-28. While those events had to occur completely online last year, this year …
Not even a pandemic can deter DMU’s 2021 graduates Read More
A Purpose-Driven Decade
On March 1, 2021, Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., marked her 10-year anniversary as DMU’s 15th president and CEO. The decade brought some difficult decisions and needed changes, an unexpected pandemic, a successful fundraising campaign and the biggest development in …
Commencement 2021: The hybrid edition
Planning a Commencement ceremony for hundreds of medical students and guests is no small feat in a good year. Doing so amid a pandemic, however, is nothing short of Herculean. “I have 450-some email messages relating to this year’s Commencement,” …
Des Moines University honors those who give the ultimate gift
The study of the human body is essential in the study of medicine. On May 21, 2021, Des Moines University honored 36 individuals, 9 of them honored veterans, who generously donated their bodies to DMU’s Body Donor Program to further …
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“Lead bold and thrilling lives to the fullest,” President Franklin advises Furman graduates
As an elementary school student, Angela L. Walker Franklin attended summer band camps held on the campus of Furman University. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, magna cum laude, at Furman and, as a graduate, served …
COM grad’s legacy will help shape DMU’s future
The DMU community was saddened by the death of Nicholas Conway, D.O.’61, in late April, but his legacy will endure through his many years of patient care, the family and friends he treasured and the lasting impact his generous support …
Donors make One Day for DMU a great success
A record number of donors, 295, participated in Des Moines University’s One Day for DMU fundraising event, contributing a total of $178,104 from noon to noon April 28-29. Those who participated supported 23 different funds, including the DMU Fund, which …
DMU announces capital campaign extension to new $50 million goal
Des Moines University, a graduate medical and health sciences university, today announced it is extending its capital campaign from the original goal of $25 million to $50 million, making it the largest fundraising campaign in the University’s history. The campaign, …
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An extra layer of protection
This fall, in a letter to all students, DMU President Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., welcomed new students and those returning (either on campus, or in a clinical setting). She stated, “Beginning this new academic year has been uniquely challenging …
Glanton 2020: an Event for Change
At DMU’s 17th annual Glanton fundraising event on Oct. 8, President and CEO Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., said it looked “different” from previous years, and not just because it was held virtually. “This year, we possess an even greater sense …
Advancing a vision and moving a lot of dirt
The sweet smell of hay wafted on the breeze and birdsong filled the air on a recent partly cloudy morning in West Des Moines. On an 88-acre site that was mostly spent cornfields, a pheasant was startled into flight by …
DMU stands in solidarity with White Coats for Black Lives
More than 250 Des Moines University students, faculty and staff – wearing masks and practicing physical distancing – gathered on campus on Friday to demonstrate solidarity in accepting the shared responsibility of protecting people of all backgrounds by addressing racism …
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DMU is nation’s first medical school to require mental health course
In 2018, Des Moines University became the nation’s first medical school to partner with the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), the nation’s leading advocacy group for mental illness, to offer its provider education program to third-year osteopathic medical students. All medical schools train …
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DMU donors top $25 million Purple & Proud Campaign goal
On Dec. 8, 2018, DMU launched the public phase of “Purple & Proud – the Campaign for Des Moines University,” a $25 million fundraising effort and the largest such endeavor in the University’s history. It is set to conclude in …
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DMU: driven by hunger
Even though America is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, millions of adults and children face hunger and food insecurity every day. According to USDA’s Household Food Insecurity in the United States in 2018 report, more than 37 …
DMU selected physical therapy and sports performance partner for MidAmerican Energy RecPlex
The City of West Des Moines and Des Moines University (DMU) announced a partnership today that makes DMU Clinic Physical Therapy the exclusive provider of physical therapy and athletic training services for the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex currently under construction …
DMU, community celebrate the power of education at Glanton Dinner
Nearly 400 central Iowa community members came together Oct. 16 to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion at Des Moines University’s 16th annual Glanton Dinner. The event generates financial support for the University’s Glanton Fund, which was established in …
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Imagining a university for the future
Des Moines University is seizing a rare opportunity: creating a brand new medical and health sciences campus on a blank slate of central Iowa farmland. FROM PARKING PROPOSAL TO BOLD ADVENTURE What began in December 2018 as a modest proposal …
Kudos for DMU Day at the Iowa State Fair
Rain fell on the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 11, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of fair-goers for DMU Day at the event. They enjoyed the 94 osteopathic manual medicine and physical therapy demonstrations performed by 49 student …
DMU President Franklin among leaders featured in new book
Early in her 20-plus-year career in higher education, Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., developed a reputation as “the VOR – the voice of reason” – who was the go-to person for getting things done. The more her career evolved, though, …
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Other Mentions:
Des Moines University President Angela Franklin '81 Leads Historic Transformation - Furman University | Women in AI - Amelia | Leading in Times of Challenge - DSM Partnership | Dreaming Big - DSM Magazine | Seeing the Forest and the Trees of a Health Sciences University | The Key Reporter Member Spotlight, Winter 2018-2019 | Guest Opinion: Raising Boys in a #MeToo World | New Campus Interview with Black News Channel
Publications
An Unconventional Journey: An Unlikely Choice
by Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D.
This is a story of perseverance and awakening.
Angela Walker Franklin's journey evolved from self-doubt and trepidation into a purpose-driven life that led her to a college presidency in a most unlikely place. The lessons learned along the way have defined her current approach to leadership and should be inspirational to others who are trying to chart their own path. Order your copy today.
Now is The Time; Des Moines is the Place: A History of Des Moines University
by Lee Anderson, PH. D.; Kathy Penningroth
Des Moines University has survived against the odds for more than 100 years and successfully built a legacy of excellence in health sciences education.
Throughout those years, there are stories of virtue, vision and hope, as well as episodes of questioned leadership, meager resources and frayed credibility. DMUs history is intertwined with the history of osteopathic medicine and the development of the health care industry in the United States.
This book covers the years 1898 to 2003, illustrating in each chapter how effective leaders can advance an institution and how committed faculty, loyal students and a generous community can defy the odds against success. Order your copy today.
Speaking Engagements
President Franklin speaks regularly to both the DMU campus and Des Moines communities and organizations on topics ranging from leadership to current health care issues.
March 16, 2023
Speaker | Des Moines Noon Rotary Presentation | The DMU Story From the Ground Up | Des Moines Embassy Club | Des Moines, Iowa
April 4, 2023
Featured | Purple and Proud Podcast
April 25, 2023
Featured | Nonprofit Storytellers Podcast | How DMU’s President Approached the Nonprofit’s Board About Building a New Campus
April 28, 2023
Guest Speaker | Prairie Club | The DMU Story From the Ground Up | Wakonda Club | Des Moines, Iowa
June 6, 2023
Speaker | Tina Talks | Inspirational Words of Wisdom Regarding Women Leadership for the Community | The Monroe | West Des Moines, Iowa