He is the dean of the School of Arts & Humanities at California State University, Bakersfield, where he is also a professor of history.
[3] Frakes grew up in Santa Barbara, California, where he became interested in classics through the mentorship of Vernon P. Ziolkowski.
After earning a master's degree and teaching certifications in Latin and Social Science through the Stanford Teacher Education Program, he completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1991.
[2] His dissertation was Audience and meaning in the "Res gestae" of Ammianus Marcellinus,[4] supervised by Harold A.
[3][7] In 2017, he moved to California State University, Bakersfield as dean of the School of Arts & Humanities and professor of history.