Jennifer Franks
Areas of Expertise:
- Cybersecurity strategy and oversight
- Privacy and data protection
- Federal systems cybersecurity
- Emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities
Jennifer R. Franks is a Director in GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity (ITC) team. She oversees work on emerging cybersecurity issues and federal agencies’ abilities to protect privacy, sensitive data, and the computing infrastructure. In addition, she leads reviews on IT management and operations, data protection, privacy, and IT issues related to health care and public health, including COVID-19. Further, she leads ITC’s Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity, which provides technical support within GAO and on cybersecurity engagements.
Jennifer joined GAO in 2006. She has led reviews on an array of federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of Personnel Management. She is also a certified facilitator of agency new hire and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) courses.
Jennifer earned a master’s degree in information security policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Hampton University.
She works in GAO's Atlanta Field Office.