The Way Forward with Eddie Francis

A proud native of New Orleans, Eddie Francis is an award-winning radio veteran and leadership enthusiast. His career launched as “Fast Eddie,” producer of the hit morning show “C.J. & Company” and the talk show “Real Talk” on WQUE-FM. Eddie also co-produced the award-winning “Sunday Journal with Hal Clark” on WYLD-FM. In 2011, Eddie won the Press Club of New Orleans’ Best Radio Entertainment Feature Award for his captivating “Sunday Journal” interview with Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza. Also among Eddie’s honors are New Orleans Magazine’s “30 People to Watch” and nominations for the AMA Foundation’s Higher Education Marketer of the Year. Currently, Eddie hosts the leadership podcast “For Our Edification”.

Boasting a diverse professional background, Eddie has been featured in multiple publications including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, and The Huffington Post. He has also made appearances on various podcasts, including “The Grown and Greek Podcast”, “Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO”, and “The Horrible Boss Effect”. He has contributed to the books Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education and The 30-60-90-Day Handbook: Checklists for Communications and Marketing Leaders in Higher Education.

When he is not on the air, Eddie works as a marketing and communications consultant and also as a speaker. He has led marketing and communications at Southern University at New Orleans, Paul Quinn College, Dillard University, and Talladega College. As a speaker, Eddie shares lessons learned about the leader-follower relationship, followership, and personal leadership. 

Raised in the historic Tremé neighborhood, Eddie earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Loyola University New Orleans and his master’s in strategic leadership from Tennessee State University. He is a member of the Press Club of New Orleans, the American Marketing Association, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Eddie is the proud husband of Dr. Halima Leak Francis and the proud father of Stevie.