Christopher Francis

Background

About Christopher Francis

Dr. Christopher (Chris) Francis is a first-generation Jamaican and Guyanese American who was born and raised in The Bronx. His connection to his community has profoundly shaped his professional journey. A product of the NYC public school system, Chris had first-hand experiences with daily metal detectors school policing, high crime, resource scarcity, teacher shortages, and overcrowded student populations. Though he initially viewed these experiences as “normal," his understanding shifted at MIT. His background and experiences were uncommon relative to his peers. This difference sparked an interest in social policy issues and uncovering the context behind his childhood experiences. Chris obtained dual bachelor’s degrees from MIT in Materials Science & Engineering and Political Science with a Social Policy concentration in 2012. He earned an M.S. in 2014 and Ph.D. in 2017 in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Citing the desire to serve underrepresented populations and give people from those communities a role in policymaking, Chris pivoted from STEM Ph.D. research to public service in 2017.Chris joined the California State Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee as its first California Council on Science and Technology fellow in 2018. He quickly became the Principal Budget and Policy Advisor for the state’s public safety, corrections, and judicial branch policy areas that year. Overall, between 2018-2024, Chris was the Principal Budget and Policy Advisor for criminal justice reform, judiciary, higher education, labor, and workforce development policy areas for the committee. During his tenure, Chris managed, advised, strategized, steered, negotiated, drafted, and oversaw budget decisions and legislation for $20 billion of state funding every year. Through his work, Chris helped California invest over $1 billion in public spending on programs and services to help impacted communities and pass laws that advanced the causes of historically underrepresented groups.In September 2024, Chris joined BronxWorks as its first Chief of Staff & Strategy. At BronxWorks, Chris works closely with the executive and leadership team, board of directors, and other key staff to drive government relations, strategic planning, program evaluation, and thought partnership for new opportunities.