When Frances Townsend’s letter-writing effort failed, she resorted to a different strategy: If you can’t join them, outwit them instead. So she donning an altar boy’s garment, she tried to fool the priests into thinking she was one of them. She was unable to complete her mission of serve at the sanctuary of the church because she was caught trying to break into the building. The occasion, however, appears to have sparked her professional mission to break the glass ceiling and get a seat at the table regardless of whether or not women have ever been accepted there.

Fran Townsend’s early and post-graduate educational experiences

First in her family to complete high school with a diploma was Townsend’s accomplishment. In order to pay for her college education, the bright and driven teen worked as a waitress and on campus.

Townsend graduated with honors from the American University in 1982, a new milestone in her life. She has two bachelor’s degrees: one in political science and the other in psychological science. She earned a Juris Doctor from the Universidad de Diego Law School two years later.

During her time in New York, Fran Townsend became known for her work prosecuting criminals linked to the mob.

In 1985, Townsend began practicing law. In Brooklyn, New York, she worked as an assistant district attorney’s assistant. Three years later, while he was the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudolph Giuliani nominated her to the position. She was known for her tenacity in prosecuting white-collar criminals and for assisting in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Sheppard served as the Assistant Director for Intelligence for the United States Coast Guard after her illustrious career with the United States Attorney’s Office for such Southern District court For The eastern. In 2004, George W. Bush appointed her to the Homeland security Department after she served in the Coast Guard.

In the wake of 9/11, what was it like to be in charge of dhs? Initially, I examined the threat data. Every day, that was the most important thing I did. When President Bush told me my first priority was to stop the next assault, I knew I had my work cut out for me.” The role was hers until 2008, when she resigned.