Cory France is Senior Communications Manager at the W. Haywood Burns Institute. He has over 10 years of professional communications and design experience across health, tech, criminal justice, and arts and culture sectors. His work in communications encompasses a range of creative, strategy, and tech expertise—including social media, copywriting, graphic design, digital media production, crisis management, influencer marketing, systems advocacy, fundraising, and organizing.

Prior to joining the BI team, Cory provided strategic communication counsel and creative direction to start-ups, emerging publications, and nonprofits across the Southeast through his own multidisciplinary communications practice. He holds a bachelor of arts in communication and culture from Howard University, a master of arts in strategic communication (specializing in advocacy and social impact) from American University, and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certification from University of South Florida. Outside of BI, Cory leads organizing strategy  as co-founder and chief strategist of the South Carolina Freedom Fund—a hyper-localized grassroots community bail fund committed to the liberation of BlPOC facing unjust incarceration and radicalized social control in Columbia, SC. He is also an active board member of the WeGoja Foundation and serves on advisory committees for the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Foundation and Historic Columbia Foundation.

His previous affiliations include: Historic Columbia Foundation, Central Carolina Community Foundation, South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), Adams Morgan Business Improvement District, Counterpart International, Americans for the Arts.

Cory can be reached at cfrance@burnsinstitute.org.