At the time of her appointment, Ms. Francis was a partner in the law firm Anzola, Roble & Asociados and in the professional consultancy FL Francis & Co. Beginning in 2005, she served as Ambassador and Adviser to the First Vice President and Minister for Foreign Affairs on multilateral affairs related to the General Assemblies of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. She worked in the private sector from 1997 to 2004, practicing as an associate attorney with prestigious law firms in Panama, and serving as Executive Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs for Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A. In 1996, Ms. Francis was appointed Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. Later that year, she was named Executive Director of the Foreign Trade Council, the body responsible for developing the country’s foreign trade and international trade negotiations policy.
A Fulbright scholar, Ms. Francis earned a Bachelor’s degree in law and political science from Santa María La

Antigua Catholic University in Panama and a Master of Law degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.