SBOE Member District 2
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LJ Francis (R)
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Board Term: Jan. 1, 2023 - Jan. 1, 2027
LJ Francis is a proud Corpus Christian and Texan! He grew up on the island of Jamaica and then immigrated to the United States of America. While pursuing his degree at the University of South Florida, he worked in the family business of both his grandfather, a businessman in real estate and construction and his father a restaurateur - both instilled hard work, dedication and personal responsibility. His mother deeply ingrained in him the excellence that is needed to be successful in every endeavor and taught the importance of education; exemplified by her own commitment as a teacher in the public school system for over 35 years. When LJ speaks of his path to citizenship he thoughtfully recalls being selected as the speaker to deliver remarks on behalf of fellow new citizens at their Naturalization Ceremony at the United States Southern District of Texas Federal Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas.
LJ is a leader in education and in 2017 he was a Co-Principal Investigator with the Texas State Aquarium that received $100,000 grant courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a program called, “Coastal Bend Watershed Resilience Education”: a NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay-Watershed Education and Training. This was an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant and authentic experiential learning focused on K–12 audiences. NOAA recognizes that firsthand experiences nurture a sense of discovery and community in students and inspire them to care for their watershed. LJ and the investigation team recruited 40 Coastal Bend middle school science and high school aquatic science teachers to design and implement five multi-stage environmental stewardship activities called, Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences. The program was successful in its two year existence and teachers have implemented the knowledge gained in their K-12 curriculum.
LJ is a licensed professional engineer and has been named the 2022 Young Engineer of the Year by Texas Society of Professional Engineers - Nueces Chapter and has worked in municipal government as a project manager with over 10 years of experience in Water Resources Engineering, Project Management, Municipal Planning and Capital Improvement Program development. In his previous role at the City of Corpus Christi he developed and managed community public improvement projects, supporting project portfolios for Water Supply, Water Treatment, Solid Waste, Public Works, and Gas Departments totaling approximately $200M+ annually.
LJ is active in the community and also engaged on several issues at the state level. He currently serves as the Inaugural Chairman of the State of Texas’ Regional Flood Planning Group, Region 13- with responsibility for 32 Texas counties that lie within the Nueces River Basin and home to a population of approximately one million Texans. He also previously served as Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)-Texas Section, Vice Chairman for Nueces County Beach Management Advisory Committee and Executive Administrator for Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District.
LJ is a dedicated family man to his wife and to their son and they are members of Calvary Chapel of the Coastlands Church. Recently, LJ has joined the ranks of Small Business owners in Texas, as Principal of his public benefit firm, Francis & Francis Engineering, PLLC, poised to be a premier project management firm in the State of Texas delivering public benefit solutions.
LJ humbly serves the people of Texas and is committed to champion parents' rights in educating their children while working with teachers and administrators to meet the educational needs of Texas students - for such a time as this!
Francis was elected in November 2022 as District 2 State Board of Education member representing the citizens in the counties of: Aransas, Calhoun, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jackson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, Willacy.