Dr. Nicole M. Ford-Francis is a native of Baltimore, MD. She was raised for part of her childhood in a small town that is nestled where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay; known as Havre De Grace, MD. Nicole was raised by her Grandmother, Mercides. She learned about the strength and the commitment of hardworking women while living with her. Education was always made a priority and at the age of 7; Nicole, affectionately known as Nikki by family and friends; knew she was going to be a teacher. During the early 70’s Nikki’s Mom went off to college and she lived with her Grandmother and her teenage aunts and uncle. Everyone pitched in to raise Nikki. She went on dates with her teenage aunts, attended football and basketball games, had her own cheerleading uniform and was even known as the “child mascot” on the cheerleading squad of Havre De Grace High School. During this time, she saw her Grandmother work hard to support her and to put her daughters through college. Her 17 year- old uncle went off to the Navy and to Vietnam and her older uncle was off in college preparing for medical school.  Weekends were great and included Scooby-Doo cartoons, riding her roller skates (on the grass) and strawberry Qwik as an afternoon treat. Grandma’s dinner was always the main event. The family was everything and she developed strong ties with her aunts and uncles and soon yearned to be a care-taker and a mother herself.    In 1978, Nikki moved to Baltimore with her mother and her new stepfather and sadly left the small town of Havre De Grace. She was so happy to be with her mother Patricia again but, deeply missed her Grandmother, the great Southern cooking and the small town lifestyle. In Baltimore, Nikki grew up quickly and this was the beginning of her journey that included a big city with all of the things that came with this new place. This meant new friends and new more complex relationships. During the 80’s Nikki’s father took pride in being the first African- American in Baltimore to own a liquor distribution company and in bringing Corona beer to the U.S. (so he said). The family helped to run this company and enjoyed a fast-based unpredictable life that was now shared with tractor-trailers, trips to New York and who knows where else…warehouses and Jerome, Bruno, Saul and other characters from the “underworld” of the liquor business. Nikki’s Mom was still a successful school teacher and Dad was the entrepreneur who always seemed to take risks. Nikki soon grew attracted to the same types of men who were questionably employed, energetic and magnetic risk takers and big spenders.   Nicole followed in her mother’s footsteps. She was married to the father of her three children and became a teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System. She moved up through the ranks and later became a National Staff member at the NAACP civil rights organization. She was married a second time and moved to Houston, Texas where she was a school principal and a consultant to the NAACP and to the Mayor of the City at that time. She grew homesick for the East Coast and upon moving back to Baltimore began working as a Government Contractor in Washington, DC.  This road of employment let to work as a scientific/technical writer, a college professor, a Union-Boss, a political lobbyist, a consultant, and the CEO of her own company. Nicole earned three degrees finishing with a Doctorate in Education and Bio-sociology.    Dr.  Nicole M. Ford-Francis is a proud mother ‘first’ and a creative spirit that loves people and loves life. The long-awaited release of the book is a part of her growing up into adult-hood and accepting that her past has been a crucial part of making her the woman she is today. Dr. Nicole M. Ford-Francis is the mother of three beautiful children, Christopher, Chad and Nikayla and lives in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.   Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}