Since her appointment in January 2018, Fran Bradford has served as Deputy Secretary of Education for Governor Northam. In this role she works to forward his higher-education priorities including access, affordability, equity, economic development and the relationship between higher education, K-12 and the workforce. Previously Fran spent 14 years at William & Mary, serving most recently as Associate Vice President for Government Relations. From June 1990 – June 2003, she held several roles at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Fran serves on the Executive Board of the Virginia Network, an organization that promotes women's leadership in higher education. She previously served as the Chair of the taskforce for the National Higher Education Government Relations Conference (Sponsored by CASE, AASCU, and APLU). Fran earned a B.A. from Earlham College and she holds a MPA from Virginia Tech. A native Virginian, she resides with her family in Richmond.