Steve Francis (businessman)
| Steve Francis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
1954 Phoenix, Arizona |
| Occupation | Founder of AMN Healthcare |
| Known for | Running for Mayor of San Diego |
Political party | Republican |
Steven C. Francis (born October 8, 1954) is an American politician and businessman. He served in the Nevada State Assembly for five years and twice ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of San Diego. He is a Republican. He is co-founder of AMN Healthcare.
Biography
Francis was born in 1954 in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. He has lived in San Diego with his wife Gayle since 1987.
Government experience
He was elected to a seat in the Nevada State Assembly in 1982; at the age of 28, he was one of the youngest assemblymen to ever enter the state house. His colleagues elected him Majority Leader in 1985, a position he held until 1987.
During his tenure in the Nevada legislature he authored and passed legislation that outlawed the sale and use of armor-piercing “cop-killer” bullets in the state. He introduced legislation to reform the state’s mental health system, establishing a state commission on mental health. He also sponsored a bill which strengthened tenants’ rights against unfair landlord practices.
After moving to San Diego, Francis unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2005 against former San Diego Chief of Police Jerry Sanders and Councilwoman Donna Frye. He ran and lost again in 2008 against incumbent Sanders.
Business entrepreneurship
In 1985, Steven Francis and his wife Gayle, a registered nurse, founded AMN Healthcare, a nurse staffing business. In 1987 after completing his legislative service in Nevada, they relocated AMN Healthcare to San Diego. As AMN Healthcare grew in its early years, Steven and Gayle oversaw the company’s development. From 1990 to 2005, Francis served as AMN’s Chief Executive Officer and from 2005 to 2008 as Chairman of the Board.
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, with over 8,000 nurse and allied healthcare professionals providing staffing services to over 2,000 healthcare facility clients. Today, AMN (NYSE:AMN) is the nation’s largest healthcare staffing firm[citation needed] and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Francis also founded the San Diego Institute for Policy Research (which now resides at National University), a non-partisan organization that generates economic and policy research for the San Diego region. Francis serves on the Board of Advisors for the Institute.
Francis is currently Chairman of the Board of Medical Solutions, Inc., a national healthcare staffing company.
Community leadership
Francis 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. He has served in the past as the Chairman of the San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross as well as Vice Chairman of the local YMCA. In addition, he has served as a director for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.
Awards and honors
Francis has been 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.