Dr. Cordell Francis serves as the Director of Business Integration for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. In this role, Dr. Francis provides leadership and direction to multifunctional teams organized to support the legislative missions of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. He ensures the senior staff of the Office of the Secretary of Defense receives support to engage Congress proactively and respond to congressional requests. He also oversees all legislative operations and business-like functions of the legislative affairs office. He is also responsible for the development and implementation of policies, strategies, requirements, plans, programs, personnel, and budget initiatives for legislative affairs.

Prior to assuming his current position in December 2023, Dr. Francis was the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), where he began service in April 2011. He began his legislative career as a Policy Analyst for former U.S. Senator Bob Graham of Florida from 1999 to 2001, where he worked on U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) issues, justice & crime, the 2000 presidential election, the 2000 U.S. Census, health care, immigration, and education. He also served as the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Joint Forces Command from 2001 to 2008, where he helped build and develop the operation and activities of the legislative affairs office. Dr. Francis was a registered federal lobbyist and a Director of Congressional Affairs for the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Practice Organization (APAPO) from 2008 to 2011, where he was focused on legislation impacting DOD and VA psychologists, service members with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and their families. While a lobbyist with the APA he also served as a liaison between the APAPO and the DOD and VA on issues ranging from psychological assessments to incentive pay for psychologists.

He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Global Campus where he earned a Doctor of Business Administration degree. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Social Policy and Administration from the Florida State University. He is also a graduate of the Secretary of Defense’s Executive Leadership Development Program.

Dr. Francis is a U.S. Navy War Veteran having been awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal for his service in Operation Desert Shield (1992); a former Navy P-3C Aircrewman; the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for service onboard the U.S.S. Independence (CV-62) (1993); the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for service at the DLA (2023); the DLA Director’s Strategic Goals Award for work supporting the DLA COVID-19 Task Force (2020); and the DLA Large Team of the Year Award for service supporting the DLA COVID-19 Response Team (2021).