Dr. French is a Full Professor in the Political Science and Public Administration department at Mississippi State and served as the Department Head for five years. He has also been Executive Director of the Stennis Institute of Government and Graduate Coordinator in the department. In his research and teaching, he specializes in human resource management; city and local government management; and comparative public administration. He joined the Stennis Institute as a Public Service Fellow in 2023.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and serves as an Editor for Public Administration Review. He is also on the Editorial Boards of Public Personnel Management, and Journal of Public Management and Social Policy. Dr. French is former Editor-in-Chief of Public Personnel Management, and former Associate Editor for Review of Public Personnel Administration. He is also a former Board member of State and Local Government Review, Review of Public Personnel Administration, and Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research. 

He received his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University, a Master's in Education Administration from The University of Virginia, a Master's in City Management from East Tennessee State University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from The University of Tennessee. Dr. French has authored or co-authored numerous refereed journal articles, books, and book chapters focusing mainly on human resource management, local government administration, and public policy issues. This research has appeared in several notable academic journals including: American Review of Public Administration, Public Administration Review, Public Integrity, Public Performance and Management Review, Public Personnel Management, Review of Public Personnel Administration, State and Local Government Review, as well as others.

Dr. French is recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Scholarship Award from the American Society for Public Administration, Section on Personnel and Labor Relations, in recognition of outstanding scholarship in public human resource management throughout a career of research. He is the Louis Brownlow Award winner from the American Society for Public Administration in 2021. He also has been honored with the Senator Peter B. Boorsma Award by the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration given to an international scholar, the Pugliese Award from SECOPA for a career of leadership and the Francis Liddell Award for leadership throughout a career from the Mississippi ASPA chapter, he has been awarded the MSU Dean's Eminent Scholar Award, MSU President’s Faculty Diversity Award, the Arts and Sciences Researcher of the Year, the Arts and Sciences Researcher of the Month, and Political Science / Public Administration students have also voted him the outstanding graduate professor on four different occasions (2009, 2011, 2013, and 2016). He is former President for The Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, and former President of the Mississippi chapter of American Society for Public Administration. Dr. French has also made presentations and lectured on three different continents. Prior to entering academia, he was a local government manager in Virginia. On a personal note, he has been married to Amy H. French for over 35 years. Their daughter, Amanda, and son-in-law, Dr. Michael Pegg are both graduates of Mississippi State University and he has two grandchildren.