Justin Franks

Justin is a DC-based business owner and cooperative entrepreneur, with over 12 years of professional experience across sectors helping to develop, manage, implement, and integrate digital systems for and alongside artists, thought leaders, small businesses, associations, non-profits, and advocacy campaigns.

His studies in International Relations and Comparative Culture & Politics were followed by several positions, including valuable experience as a licensed financial advisor, an award-winning global telecommunications project manager, an international youth advocacy production coordinator, and as a digital lead at a not-for-profit association managing their digital properties and platforms. Justin dove into entrepreneurship and formed his own business progressiveDC LLC in 2017 to employ his skills helping small businesses and entrepreneurs define their digital presence - particularly of underrepresented and mission-aligned businesses and civic ventures. He has learned that access to resources and safe spaces for deep thinking, applied learning by doing, and exploring shared passions with other like-minded free thinkers are critical to entrepreneurial - and therefore business - success.

He is unapologetic about making efforts to bring people together to take on ambitious goals and seek to grow adoption of cooperative business ownership models, public interest technologies, and to further contribute to the causes of behavioral health, digital equity, and bridging generational divides.