Beasley, Frances
Frances Beasley
Frances Beasley is an environmentalist who dedicated her career to public service. She worked in state and local agencies in Ohio to implement natural resource infrastructure projects and advance environmental justice and urban environmental education. Beasley is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Beasley assisted in forming Friends of Alum Creek, Friends of Blacklick Creek, Friends of the Scioto, and Friends of Big Walnut Creek. She has also implemented a stream signage project to place signs identifying streams at all stream crossings in Franklin County, researches environmental justice issues, is a member of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resources Related Sciences), and founded the Noon Day Walkers, a downtown walking group focused on the appreciation of the urban and inner city environment.
“Where we live, work, and play is the infrastructure of life. Caring for that has to be a priority for all of us.” - Frances Beasley, 2005.
Though she grew up in Columbus, Ohio, Frances Beasley was born in Georgia on October 15, 1949. She is the oldest of four children born to Mary Annelle Beasley-Martin, a former case worker, and Willy James Beasley, a former truck driver and laborer. During Beasley’s childhood, Columbus experienced problems common to many urban centers, such as crime, blight, and poverty. Beasley, however, didn’t realize the environmental implications of her neighborhood’s condition until she began her environmental work.
Beasley earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ohio State University. She was not looking for a career in the environmental sector when she graduated. Her first exposure to the environmental field came when she took a job as a secretary at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Ohio DNR). After that experience, she decided to look into careers in the environment and went back to Ohio State University to get a master’s degree in natural resource and environmental policy in 1993. She worked for the Ohio DNR on oil and gas reclamation, recycling, and strip mining. Beasley was also interested in water policy and the health of waterways. During her tenure at the Ohio DNR, she served as a program manager on the Ohio Greenways project, where she helped direct community-focused water quality education efforts.
Beasley was the Assistant Director of Environmental Policy and Planning for the Department of Public Utilities for the City of Columbus. She considers the highlight of her career to be her appointment to this post by Columbus‘ Mayor Michael B. Coleman. Beasle’s most significant achievement is her ongoing work promoting inclusive environmental interests, such as environmental justice and urban environmental education. Beasley credits her career advancement to the fact that she pursued advanced studies in the field. She is currently working on her doctorate at Ohio State.
There have been many highs and lows in Beasley’s career. As a woman of color, she found it difficult to get the types of employment that seemed more readily available to her male peers earlier in her career. She also felt that the environmental field was not generally “receptive to minorities or women.” Despite these initial obstacles, she has remained in the field because she loves her work and feels it is important to protect all forms of the environment, including “where we live, work, and play” (2016).
In 2007, Beasley retired from her position at the Columbus Department of Public Utilities. Among her many accomplishments in her career, Beasley oversaw the greenways program at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. First, as the Assistant Director of Environmental Policy and Planning for the City of Columbus, Ohio, Beasley served as the Columbus Parks Commissioner from 2010-2013.
Beasley serves on the advisory committee of The Green Funds at the Columbus Foundation. She also served on the boards of the Audubon Ohio, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, Ohio Environmental Education Council, and Samaritan Project Development Corp.
Beasley counts several professors among her mentors, including Ohio State Professor Don Floyd and Professors Paul Mohai, Bunyan Bryant, and Dorceta Taylor at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. According to Beasley, these professors gave her insight into a broader perspective of the environment. She also credits her grandfather, who was a farmer, with influencing her. Beasley says she “learned a lot by being around him.”
Beasley has always provided mentorship to minorities interested in the environmental field by working on minority job recruitment at the Ohio DNR, being active in Ohio State University’s Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) chapter and by conducting research that would be of interest to African American and urban audiences. She also worked on recruiting and retaining minorities at Ohio State’s School of Natural Resources and with the Columbus public school system to include diversity in environmental education programs.
Beasley feels that minorities interested in the environment should work towards the academic credentials needed for the field and should gain relevant job experiences through internships. She advises young professionals not to let money override career decisions and encourages minorities not to limit their career options. Finally, Beasley encourages young professionals not to get discouraged by challenges and to remember that “there is not always a straight path to the top” (2005).
Ferenchik, M. (2013, January 8). Former state legislator on Metro Parks board. The Columbus Dispatch. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/environment/2013/01/09/former-state-…
Staff Writer. (2009, November 30). New member appointed to Franklin County Metro Parks board. The Columbus Dispatch. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2009/11/30/new-member-appointed-to-f…
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
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