Fran Burns has served over 20 years in the public sector in various leadership positions. She most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of the Philadelphia School District, with responsibility for 2,600 employees, $500 million of annual expenditures and $130 million in annual capital budget. Fran was a member of the Superintendent’s core team and received the 2017 Annual COO Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Great City Schools.
Fran has held key public-sector positions in Philadelphia including the first woman Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), the City’s fiscal oversight board.
Fran served four years as Commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) under Mayor Michael Nutter. She briefly served as Executive Director of the Manayunk Development Corporation before being named as Commissioner of Licenses and Inspections.
Fran has also served as Assistant Budget Director and Assistant Managing Director respectively for the City of Philadelphia. Fran graduated from Villanova University in 1997 with a degree in political science and a minor in history and holds a Master in Public Administration from Villanova University graduating in 1999.
Fran is currently serving as full-time faculty at Villanova University as Professor of Practice in the Department of Public Administration.