Steve Francis (Businessman)
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[edit] Steve Francis (Businessman)
Steven C. Francis (born October 8, 1954) is a businessman, entrepreneur, former state legislative leader, philanthropist, chairman and co-founder of AMN Healthcare (NYSE:AHS).
[edit] Biography
Steve Francis was born 1954 in Phoenix, Arizona. Francis' father was employed in the farming industry, and his mother stayed home to raise five boys. He attended the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. Francis offset the cost of college by working as a dishwasher, bus boy, stock room worker, and motel desk clerk. He has lived in San Diego with his wife Gayle for more than twenty years, where they have raised their two children.
[edit] Government Experience
Francis pursued his interest in public service by running for a seat in the Nevada State Assembly in 1982. At the age of 28, Francis was elected as one of the youngest assemblymen to ever enter the state house. His Republican colleagues elected him Majority Leader in 1985, a position he held until 1987.
Francis’s tenure in the Nevada legislature was marked by his efforts to seek public policy reform. He authored and passed legislation that successfully outlawed the sale and use of armor-piercing “cop-killer” bullets in the state and which was widely praised by members of law enforcement. Francis made news headlines by introducing legislation to reform the state’s mental health system, establishing a state commission on mental health to protect Nevada’s residents. During Francis' tenure in office legislation was pass that strengthen tenants’ rights to protect renters from unfair landlord practices.
[edit] Business Entrepreneurship
In 1985, Francis and his wife Gayle, a registered nurse, founded AMN Healthcare, a nurse staffing business, at their kitchen table.In 1987 after completing his legislative service in Nevada, Francis and Gayle relocated their small business and settled in San Diego. As AMN grew in its early years, Francis and Gayle oversaw the company’s development. From 1990 to 2005, Francis served as AMN’s Chief Executive Officer and now serves as the Chairman of the Board of AMN Healthcare.
During the 22 years of AMN’s history, the company transitioned from a private enterprise to a national public company with over 2,000 corporate employees as of the end of 2006, with an average of over 7,000 nurse and allied healthcare professionals providing staffing services to over 2,000 healthcare facility clients. Today, AMN is the nation’s largest healthcare staffing firm and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 2006, Francis founded the San Diego Institute for Policy Research, a non-partisan organization that generates economic and policy research, fostering solutions to improve San Diego’s business.
[edit] Philanthropy and Community Leadership
As an active member of the San Diego community, Francis has worked with numerous non-profit and charitable organizations. He is a long-serving board member and current Chairman of Father Joe’s Villages St. Vincent de Paul, which provides transitional housing for low-income families, rehabilitative services for the homeless, and residential and educational services for homeless teens. Francis is also Vice-Chairman for the San Diego YMCA, and has served in various leadership roles with the American Red Cross, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.
[edit] Awards and Honors
In 2007, Francis was honored as a Father of the Year by the American Diabetes Association/San Diego Father’s Day Council, as Patriot of the Year by the Boy Scouts of America San Diego-Imperial Council and as Corporate Director of the Year by the Corporate Directors Forum.
[edit] References
- "Steve Francis to Run for Mayor of San Diego - 'I'll be an Independent Mayor'" [1], January 19, 2008.
- Braun, Gerry. "Looming mayoral race good for city." [2]San Diego Union-Tribune, January 13, 2008.
- "Businessman Steve Francis to announce San Diego mayor candidacy." "[3]," North County Times, January 14, 2008.
