College of Business Administration
Advisory Council Member

Mr. Bob Franklin
Independent Director
Xethanol Corporation

Bob Franklin is a career investment banker, who has served on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards of directors.

In July of 2005, he and others founded the Ariel Savannah Angel Partners, LLC, which makes angel risk investments for its members, who are from the eight Low Country communities of Savannah, Hilton Head, Douglas, Augusta, Statesboro, Swainsboro, Skidaway and St. Simon’s. The founders of the LLC elected Bob as chairman and CEO of Ariel Savannah Angel Manager, Inc., the managing member of the LLC. During 2006 and 2007, the LLC has made over $1 million of investments in five companies in Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia.

In January 2007, Bob was elected an independent director of Xethanol Corporation (AMEX:XNL). Xethanol aspires to be a leader in alternate and renewable energy and cellulosic ethanol. On the Xethanol board, Bob is a member of the Executive Committee, the Audit Committee, and Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee.

In July 2003, Bob was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Romney as a member of the Massachusetts Public Education Nominating Council, on which he served until February 2005. In 2003 he was vice chairman, and in 2004 he was chairman of the Council. By statute, the Council is the sole source of nominations for appointment by the Governor to the 27 Massachusetts public education boards, which are of the University of Massachusetts, the 9 state colleges, the 15 community colleges, as well as the Board of Education (K-12) and the Board of Higher Education.

From 1994 to 1999, he was a trustee of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a four-year state college. In November 2004, he joined the Advisory Board of the Institute For Effective Governance, a Washington, DC service organization for responsible trustees. From 1998 to 2001, he was a member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the Association of the United States Army. In June of 2004, Bob completed a term as a director of Berthel Fisher & Company, a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bob received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University in 1959, and served as a Regular Army officer until 1962. He is an instrument-rated private pilot. He is a Life Member of the Union League Club of New York, and a member of the Chatham Club of Savannah, Georgia.