Francine Busby is a leader who meets challenges head on and has a track record of turning potential into progress and vision into reality.  She has developed her reputation for listening and getting results during her thirty years of experience in community service, business and elected office.

A native Californian, Francine Pocino grew up in an Italian-American family of small business owners in the Los Angeles area city of Arcadia. She graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in Humanities and then obtained a Master in Governance certificate from the California School Boards Association.  Fluent in Italian, she translated and published a history of her ancestral village and the story of immigrants who came to America. She's also been interviewed by the RAI Italian TV network about the history and traditions of Italian Americans.

In 2008 she was recognized by Biz San Diego as one of the most influential businesswomen in San Diego for having started several small businesses.  Francine honed her communication and management skills in a demanding and competitive global environment during her career in domestic and international tourism and marketing at the Walt Disney Travel Company Inc.  She represented Disneyland and the Walt Disney Travel Company in many foreign countries as well as managing several departments in Anaheim.

Francine redirected her skills and talents to volunteer opportunities related to her children and community for several years.  She was the founding president of the Casa Teresa Central Guild in Orange County and has served on numerous boards and leadership positions in her community in Cardiff.

Elected as president of the Cardiff School Board, Francine guided the district through a tumultuous transition by making tough decisions about personnel, multi-million dollar budgets and union negotiations. As president of the Cardiff Education Foundation and manager of a successful school bond campaign, she was instrumental in transforming Cardiff schools into some of the most technologically advanced in the state.

A mentor and role model for women and girls, Francine was an adjunct professor of Women Studies at the California State University, San Marcos.  She frequently addresses audiences about the impact of women as policymakers.  She was recognized by the National Women's Political Caucus with their “Rising Star Award” in 2005 and has again received their prestigious endorsement.

In 2004, Francine ran for Congress as a grassroots Democratic candidate against Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham in the heavily Republican 50th District.  In 2006, her strong showings in three hard-fought elections within six months to replace Duke Cunningham surprised the pundits and set the political transformation of the 50th District in motion.

Francine has been married for 31 years to David Busby, a computer software engineer and member of the high tech business community, who was awarded the Gorden Bell Prize along with his colleagues at HNC.  They have lived in Cardiff-by-the-Sea for twenty years where they built their home, raised Maria and Michael and cheered on the soccer sidelines and surf tournaments with friends and neighbors.