Background
Frances M. Fragos was born in Mineola, New York, the daughter of a Greek American father who was a roofer and an Irish American mother who was an office manager for a construction company.
lawyer United States Homeland Security Council
Frances M. Fragos was born in Mineola, New York, the daughter of a Greek American father who was a roofer and an Irish American mother who was an office manager for a construction company.
Bachelor in Political Science, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, American University, Washington, 1982. Juris Doctor, San Diego University, 1984. Student, Institute International & Comparative Law, London.
Townsend was appointed to this position by President Bush on May 28, 2004. Her resignation was announced November 19, 2007. She chaired the Homeland Security Council and reported to the President on homeland security policy and counterterrorism policy.
She previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism.
In 2008 she joined Cable News Network as a contributor. Townsend is president of the Counter Extremism Project.
Personal life
Raised in Wantagh, Long Island, Townsend was the first in her family to finish high school. Townsend saved money by accelerating her course load, waiting tables and working as a dormitory adviser.
In 1984, she received her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, and in 1986, attended the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London, England.
Townsend began her prosecutorial career in 1985, serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New New York In 1988, she joined the United States Attorney" General’ s Office for the Southern District of New New York In 1991, she worked in the Office of the Attorney General to assist in establishing the newly created Office of International Programs, the predecessor to the Executive Office for National Security.
Townsend currently serves as an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America.
Townsend serves on the Leadership Council for Concordia, a nonpartisan, nonprofit based in New York City focused on promoting effective public-private collaboration to create a more prosperous and sustainable future. = George West. Bush administration She came to the White House from the United States Coast Guard, where she had served as Assistant Commandant for Intelligence.
Prior to that, Townsend spent thirteen years at the United States Department of Justice in a variety of senior positions, her last assignment as Counsel to the Attorney General for Intelligence Policy. In May 2007, she was appointed "National Continuity Coordinator" under the auspices of National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 51 and assigned responsibility for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies.
In late 2007, her name was mentioned as a possible replacement for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Frances is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent policy study group located in New York City.
Married John M. Townsend, 1994. 2 children.
