E D D I E   F R A N C I S

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

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Eddie Francis is a marketer, award-winning broadcaster, and speaker. Boasting a diverse professional background, he has been featured in multiple publications including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Bold Journey, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, The Huffington Post, Inside Higher Ed, Careers in Government, and Watch the Yard. Eddie has also made appearances on various podcasts, including “The Horrible Boss Effect,” “Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO,” “ILLUMENATE,” “The Fraternity Foodie Podcast,” and “The HBCU Lifestyle Podcast.” Eddie also contributed to the books From Letters to Leaders: Perseverance and How to Be a Great Fraternity or Sorority Alumnus and Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education. 

When he speaks, Eddie lets audiences in on his thoughts about the leader-follower relationship, followership, and personal leadership. He has spoken for such institutions and organizations as the American Marketing Association, the University of Alabama, the Big XII Conference on Black Student Government, the Northeast Greek Leadership Association, the Urban League of Louisiana, McNeese State University, Hannon Hill, and Southeastern Louisiana University. Eddie is also an adjunct instructor for Southern New Hampshire University.

The New Orleans native shares his thoughts about understanding and acting on everyday issues on his talk show “The Way Forward” on WBOK radio. He also hosts the personal leadership podcast “For Our Edification,” the employer branding podcast “I Wanna Work There!”--one of Hannon Hill’s best higher education podcasts of 2024--and the fraternity and sorority life leadership podcast, “Ethocast.” Eddie is the past host of “The HBCU Lifestyle Podcast,” one of Podbean’s top 10 education podcasts, and he contributed to “The HBCU Nation Radio Show” on SiriusXM. Eddie’s career launched as “Fast Eddie,” air personality and producer of the popular “C.J. & Company'' morning show on WQUE, New Orleans’ top hip hop radio station. He also co-produced the award-winning “Sunday Journal with Hal Clark” on the market’s top R&B radio station, WYLD. 

Ironically, Eddie found his voice in education. As a speaker for Monster’s Making It Count programs, Eddie reached over a quarter of a million high school and college students. He later stepped into higher education by leading public relations at Southern University at New Orleans where he developed the university’s branding and spearheaded the PR campaign to defeat a state legislative bill that threatened SUNO’s future. Eddie moved on to Paul Quinn College where he helped spark an enrollment increase in the midst of a PR crisis. At Dillard University, he led the “Write Your Legacy” brand evolution campaign, increased the institutional media voices by 125%, and expanded the university’s licensed merchandise offerings. In a career pivot, Eddie entered talent acquisition where he recruited for award-winning global recruitment firm Cielo and for such brands as Quest Diagnostics, Staples, Lowe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Tyco SimplexGrinnell. 

Among Eddie’s honors are New Orleans Magazine’s “30 People to Watch,” the Press Club of New Orleans’ Best Radio Entertainment Feature Award, two nominations for the AMA Foundation’s Higher Education Marketer of the Year. Eddie earned his master’s degree in strategic leadership from Tennessee State University and his bachelor’s in mass communication from Loyola University New Orleans. He is a member of the American Marketing Association where he served on the planning committee for the Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, the Press Club of New Orleans, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He is the proud husband of Dr. Halima Leak Francis, the proud father of Stevie, a dog daddy to Allegra, and a cat daddy to Asa.