Linda Francis was the former Backbone Director and led cross-functional initiatives focused on improving early childhood systems, which includes strategy, communications, state and partner engagement, continuous quality improvement, and shared progress tracking.

Previously she was the director of Success of All Youth (SAY), a cradle-to-career community collective for the communities of Oak Park and River Forest. She worked with a range of community partners and individuals to coordinate and align priorities and resources to empower all children/youth to reach their full potential.

Linda is a graduate of Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and spent the first 23 years of her career as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. Linda is originally from New York but has called Oak Park home for 25 years, where she lives with her daughter and is an active member of the community.