Marchelle F. Franklin is Director, Community Affairs Division with the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the country with a diverse population of over 1.5 million residents covering 520 square miles. In this role, she serves as executive advisor to the Chief of Police and City Manager's Office on internal and external strategies to enhance trust and nurture legitimacy between the department and the community and manages the Community Relations and Public Affairs Bureaus. She is the highest ranking civilian in the Department.
Marchelle has over 29 years of experience in the public and private sector with a strong background in public-private partnerships, developing and influencing public policy, community development and engagement, project planning and management, economic development, legislative affairs, strategic planning and human resources development.
Prior to her role in the Phoenix Police Department, Marchelle served as Deputy Aviation Director for Community Development and Government Relations with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Chief of Staff to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Chief of Staff to Phoenix City Councilman Michael Johnson. Before joining the City of Phoenix in 2002, her career spanned over 16 years in senior and executive human resources management positions in the private sector.
Marchelle earned a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance from Grand Canyon University, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and completed the Executive Development Program in Human Resources Consulting and Strategy Development at the University of Southern California.
She serves on the boards of the Black Chamber of Arizona (Board Chairman) and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Central Arizona Chapter. Marchelle is a member of the International City/County Management Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Charter 100 Arizona, NAACP (Life Member) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
She resides in Phoenix and is the mother of two adult sons.
