Francesca writes history and non-fiction. Her interests are eclectic, bound together by a belief in the power of words to inform, persuade and move people. She writes about education and public policy, and is fascinated by the fin-de-siecle (19th and 20th century) in Russia. She is the editor of Australian Garden History.
She is a former Australian diplomat, who served in Jakarta, Moscow and Berlin, as well as private secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. She also worked as a senior official in the then Australian Agency for International Development. From 2002 to 2004 she was executive director of Adult Learning Australia. From 2007 to 2012 Francesca was manager, then general manager, research at the National Centre for Vocational and Education Research (NCVER).
Francesca studied history at the Australian National University, has a Certificate IV in training and assessment and holds the Australian Institute of Company Directors diploma. She speaks German, Indonesian and some Russian. Francesca is a member of the Professional Historians Association (NSW & ACT) and the Australian Society of Authors.