Fran is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. AASA Illinois Superintendent of the Year in 2005, Fran served as the Macomb CUSD #185 superintendent for six years before retiring and moving into higher education. She began her administrative career in Georgia as a middle school assistant principal, elementary principal and assistant superintendent. She has been an Illinois Superintendent since 1991 serving in the Putnam Country School District and the Olympia School districts before retiring from the Macomb CUSD #185. Fran currently serves on the Governor's Education Task Force and the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) Financial Information Accountability Committee (FIAC). Among numerous awards, she has received in recognition of her volunteer and professional work are the WIU President’s Community Award for excellence in Multicultural Programming (2002) and the ISBE "Break the Mold Award" (2000), as well as the "Governor's Leadership in Literacy Award" from Rotary International (1996) and the Georgia Excellence in Leadership Award (1989). In 2007 the Spoon River College Board of Trustees issued a Resolution expressing appreciation for Dr. Karanovich's excellent service to the citizens of Macomb and to the staff, faculty, and students of SRC.