Leah Bradford Francis is a senior philanthropy leader with deep cross sector experience and a proven track record of shaping social impact strategies in the U.S. and internationally.  In her most recent role, Leah was a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation with an investment portfolio focused on improving equitable outcomes in U.S. public education.  Prior to the Gates Foundation, Leah served as Managing Director, Synergos Advisory. She led Synergos’ global social impact advisory practice guiding foundations, families, and corporations on philanthropic strategy, program design/delivery, and public/private partnerships in developing markets.  She oversaw client engagements in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and South & Southeast Asia. Prior to joining Synergos, Leah was President of the Kraft Foods Group Foundation. She led the company’s philanthropic strategy in community partnerships, humanitarian aid and employee civic engagement with a focus on food access and nutrition.  Leah’s career began in management consulting serving both federal government and private sector clients, having worked for both Deloitte and Accenture’s Human Capital practices. 

Over the years, Leah has served as a volunteer and board member to numerous organizations. She currently serves on the boards of Cause Strategy Partners, MCE Social Capital and RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund.  She holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Her undergraduate studies in Sociology were completed at the University of Virginia.