Dr. Sybil Francis’ road to becoming a powerful voice in shaping the future of Arizona is paved with diverse experiences and global insights that beautifully mirror the state's own eclectic spirit.
“My mother came to the U.S. in high school as an American Field Service exchange student, eventually meeting my father and creating a home for us in both Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. I am the oldest of three girls,” she says.
Her father worked in academia, and Francis vividly remembers attending his thesis graduation at Harvard University and moving to Washington, D.C., in eighth grade, where her dad took a job after completing his doctorate. As a girl, she also spent summers in France with her grandparents.
A bright, engaged student, she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Oberlin College before earning admission into Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she became the fifth woman ever to enroll in its Defense and Arms Control Program.
Equipped with her Ph.D. from MIT, Francis forged a lifelong path in changemaking. She worked on science policy on Capitol Hill and served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She would also work with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art before relocating to Arizona in 2002 when her husband, Dr. Michael Crow, became the 16th president of Arizona State University (ASU).
“Here, I quickly began what has become my most meaningful work,” says Francis, referring to her co-founding the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) in 2003, a nonprofit “do-tank” that she today leads as chair, president, and chief executive officer.
The seeds for the organization were sown during a conversation with Dr. Lattie Coor—the then-outgoing president of ASU—soon after Francis moved to the Valley.
“We quickly found we had a deep passion for our state in common,” says Francis. “With his experience in research and education and mine in public policy, we set the wheels in motion to see how we could work together to propel Arizona forward in a positive way.”
Initially, the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) planned to use an analytical approach to help provide guidance to leaders in business, government, and education, but Francis and Coor found the real road to success lay in listening to and amplifying the voices of the people across Arizona’s 15 counties.
“As a result, in 2006, we began investing in extensive survey research, forging a first-of-its-kind partnership with the world-renowned Gallup public opinion survey research organization for what was one of the most robust surveys of Arizonans ever conducted on topics running the gamut from health and well-being to jobs, economic opportunity, the environment, and education,” says Francis.
According to CFA’s extensive survey research, the shared public values that Arizonans across geography, age, race and ethnicity, education, and political affiliation overwhelmingly agree on are education, health and well-being, jobs and economic opportunity, environment and sustainable future, civic engagement and leadership, equitable systems, and immigration reform.
“Armed with this data and the voice of the people, our organization began proactively working toward making contributions to ‘The Arizona We Want’ vision through statewide initiatives and programs in education, workforce development, and civic engagement,” Francis explains.
Today, CFA works with more than 200 businesses, associations, organizations, foundations, school districts, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit organizations, including the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, State of Black Arizona, Arizona Department of Education, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, United Way, and many more.
“We are especially excited and encouraged by the success of our innovative Arizona Voters’ Agenda, an unprecedented nonpartisan effort focused on centering the voices of all Arizonans in elections and governance of the state,” says Francis. “Combined with survey research insights, data from the Arizona Progress Meters also contributed to productive community conversations, helped inform evidence-based policies and action, and led to expanded partnerships this past year.”
Looking into 2024, Francis expects CFA to play an active role on the local and national stage, proactively helping the media and the rest of the country better understand what the data shows about who Arizonans are and shedding light on where they agree: their desire for a public education system that works for all youth, housing affordability, enhanced practices to protect our water, air, and environment, and true solution-building.
When not advocating for Arizonans, Francis—who has an adult daughter and enjoys travel and hiking with her husband, Crow—stays busy in other philanthropic endeavors. She served on the board of The Nature Conservancy of Arizona for 12 years and chaired its Conservation and Public Policy Committee for much of her tenure.
She is also a founder and the standing chair of ASU’s Women and Philanthropy program, a model women’s organization with a unique approach to engaging women in the community. She is a member of the Arizona Women’s Forum, a nonprofit working to advance women in senior leadership positions and to empower all women leaders to lead with passion, act as mentors to others, and make a difference in their businesses, their communities, and their lives, as well as Charter 100, a professional association for women leaders that recognizes outstanding women in the community and provides a forum for interaction.
“We are all capable of more than dreaming; we are visionaries, architects of a brighter and more prosperous future for all. This is The Arizona We Want,” says Francis.
"We quickly found we had a deep passion for our state in common,” says Francis. “With his experience in research and education and mine in public policy, we set the wheels in motion to see how we could work together to propel Arizona forward in a positive way.”