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Cordell Francis, Jr
Special Assistant for Strategic Programs
Department of Defense, Office of the Chief Information Officer
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Dr. Cordell Francis serves as the Special Assistant to the DoD CIO for Strategic Programs. In this role, he is responsible for all matters relating to International & Industry Engagements, Strategic Communications, and Congressional matters. His focus is managing all CIO international interactions/engagements, support to committees and boards, and relationships with international partners and allies.
Prior to assuming his current position in August 2025, Dr. Francis was the Director of Business Integration for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs from December 2023 to July 2025. He provided leadership and direction to multifunctional teams organized to support the legislative missions of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. He oversaw all legislative operations and business-like functions, and he was responsible for the development and implementation of policies, strategies, requirements, plans, programs, personnel, and budget initiatives for Legislative Affairs.
He was also 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 was the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Joint Forces Command from 2001 to 2008, where he built and developed the legislative affairs office and engaged Congressional Defense Committees regarding DoD transformation matters. He 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 for service members to incentive pay for psychologists.
Dr. Francis earned a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor and Master of Social Work degree 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 and recipient of the Southwest Asia Service Medal for his service in Operation Desert Shield (1992); a former Navy P-3C Aircrewman; awardee of the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for service onboard the U.S.S. Independence (CV-62) (1993) and at the DLA (2023); awardee of 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).
He is a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., the former President of the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Alumni Association Inc, and a former Board Member of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy.