Frank Jufran Thornton, M.Ed. was born in Richmond, Virginia to Frank Junius Thornton, M.A. and Bettye Parker Thornton, M.S. and raised in Henrico County throughout his formative years. He hails from a family of service that has improved the lives of citizens through education and policy for decades. Frank is a proud graduate of Henrico High School aka “The Hen.” In high school, he was active in sports, clubs, and the arts.
After high school, Frank was accepted to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he matriculated and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After graduation, Frank began his career in technology with Wang Laboratories providing technical phone support. This launched Frank’s career in technology where he excelled in technical and management roles supporting organizations, institutions, and companies in academia, government, private industry, and the nonprofit arena.
In 2013, Frank earned his Master of Education at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Currently, Frank is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina in the Learning Design & Technologies program. Through professional and civic service, Frank works in the Henrico community as an advocate for education, social justice, senior citizens, a technologist, and an adjunct professor.
In addition, he has had the privilege to serve on nonprofit and advisory boards to share his expertise in the areas of Higher Education, K-12 Educational Advocacy, Career Technical Education, Workforce Development, Transit Advocacy, and Economic Development.