Frank B. Atkinson

In 1994-1996, Frank served in the Cabinet of former Virginia Governor George Allen as Counselor and Director of Policy, and played a leadership role in the Allen administration's successful policy initiatives in the areas of criminal justice, welfare reform, education, economic development, and regulatory reform. During President Reagan's administration, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Attorney General and in other Justice Department posts. A frequent lecturer at Virginia colleges and universities, he is the author of Virginia in the Vanguard (2006) and The Dynamic Dominion (1992), which are frequently used as texts in university-level courses on Virginia government and politics.

Education

• University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia, J.D., 1982
  • Honors: Order of the Coif; Raven Society
  • Law Review: Virginia Law Review
• University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia, B.A., 1979, summa cum laude
  • Honors: Phi Beta Kappa

Directorships and Appointments

• Chairman, Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission, 2003-present
• Vice Chairman, Jamestown 2007 Steering Committee, 1998-2003 (member, 2003-present)
• Member, Board of Trustees, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, 1996-2004, 2006-present
• Member, Board of Directors, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, 2005-present
• Member, Board of Advisors, University of Virginia Center for Politics, 2001-present
• Member, Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, 1998-2000
• Member, Governor's Steering Committee on the Virginia Economic Development Strategy, 1998-1999
• Member, Governor's Commission on Competitive and Equitable Tax Policy, 1996-1997
• Director, Governor's Advisory Council on Self-Determination and Federalism, 1994-1995

Professional Affiliations

• Virginia Bar Association
• City of Richmond Bar Association
• Federalist Society
• Republican National Lawyers Association

Admitted

• Virginia 1982
• E.D. Va. Fourth Circuit

Publications

• Virginia in the Vanguard: Political Leadership in the 400-Year-Old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006, Rohman and Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2006
• The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980 (revised 2nd edition), Rohman and Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2006 (1st edition, George Mason University Press, 1992)

Past Positions

• Office of Virginia Governor George Allen, Counselor and Director of Policy, 1994-1996
• United States Department of Justice
  • Special Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, 1987-1988
  • Special Assistant United States Attorney, 1983-1984
  • Special Assistant, Civil Rights Division, 1982-1983

• Contracts & State/Local Procurement
• Economic and Infrastructure Development
• Executive and Legislative Affairs
• Multi-state Government Relations

• State Government Relations

• Economic Development
• Education
• Energy
• Healthcare
• Information Technology & Telecom
• Public Safety
• Transportation