Earl Franks

L. Earl Franks, the executive director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, is a veteran association executive and advocate for public education and school leadership with over three decades of pre-K–12 education experience.

In his role as NAESP’s executive director, Franks advances the Association’s mission to lead in the advocacy and support for elementary and middle-level principals and other education leaders in their commitment for all children. He represents the nation’s pre-K–8 principals on the Board of Directors of the Learning First Alliance, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, and as a member of multiple national educational organizations and coalitions.

Prior to his selection as the NAESP executive director, he served as executive director of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS), Alabama’s leading umbrella organization for principals and school administrators. He was inducted into the Alabama Educational Leadership Hall of Fame in 2018.

Franks received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He received his Master of Science in Education, Bachelor of Music Education, and Educational Specialist degrees from Troy University in Troy, Alabama.