Frances has a government and research background and has focused on how to progress large-scale national reforms within Australia’s federal system and with community partners. Frances has previously worked for commonwealth and state governments on national reform processes relating to the NDIS, education funding, water management and data reform. Since 2019, Frances has been the Executive Director of Shaping Futures and Chief Data Officer in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. During this time Frances has established a NSW foresight team and led a national project across multiple governments and with a disability advisory group known as the National Disability Data Asset Pilot.

During 2021-22 Frances co-chaired the NSW government and community shared governance group responsible for Closing the Gap Priority Reform 4. Together the group devised a 2-year initiative to be jointly delivered by the NSW Government and NSW Coalition of Peak Organisations which received $18.75 million in funding in the 2022 Budget. During 2023 Frances will lead delivery of this initiative in partnership with NSW CAPO. She will also lead NSW’s sponsorship of a 2-year ANZSOG research project to develop a practice guide for when and how to develop co-governance arrangements with communities, drawing on existing thinking and examples.