Franko has worked in education for over 20 years, living overseas since 1999. Born and raised in the United States, he received his undergraduate degree from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He currently resides in Rio de Janeiro where he serves as high school counselor. Previous to that, he worked in Vietnam and was the Head of Counseling at Western Academy of Beijing. Franko has also worked at international schools in Greece, Switzerland, and Indonesia. Franko spent six years working at a private school in California before moving abroad.