Jennifer Francis

After twenty years in the nonprofit sector with the most recent service as the Executive Director of OKC Metro Alliance, Jennifer Francis made the move to state service at the Office of Juvenile Affairs as the Chief of Strategic Communications.

During her time working in the community, an awareness of inequalities and biases in the criminal justice system in Oklahoma and the nation began and became a passion that continues to this day with advocacy for change in these areas. A desire to see positive change in Oklahoma led to the opportunity to serve with the Oklahoma Justice Circle, now a nonprofit of which Ms. Francis serves as a board member.

Ms. Francis has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in psychology (Art Therapy) from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. During her graduate program, Ms. Francis had a career-changing practicum working with adults and adolescents in recovery from substance abuse. At the Sims-Kemper Institute in Topeka, KS Ms. Francis was immersed in 12-step groups and the tenets of recovery, which ignited a fervor for recovery that still exists today. Ms. Francis is trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and is a Question Persuade Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper trainer, a program which proactively addresses suicide prevention.

The most recent life-changing experience occurred in 2023 when Ms. Francis became a Salt and Light Leadership Training alum, which gave her language defining her life purpose: to love people and share joy. Today, Jennifer knows that no matter where her place of employment may be, she is committed to her purpose that benefits the community and brings light to God’s kingdom.