In that position he oversaw the state's eight major departments, along with the other offices and divisions of the Government of New York.
He has been described as “one of Albany's most influential behind-the-scenes players.”[1] Born in Santa Monica, California, Francis was raised in Chappaqua, New York.
Francis and Spitzer met volunteering for the congressional campaign of Edward Meyer, a former Westchester assemblyman who switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
[4] He was an advisor on budget and policy issues during Andrew Cuomo's successful 2010 campaign for Governor of New York.
In July 2015, Governor Cuomo appointed Francis as Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services for New York State.
He was hospitalized in Albany, developed sepsis, and spent two weeks in a medically induced coma that necessitated the amputation of his left arm below the elbow.