FRANCES PRESLEY RICE is a retired lawyer and Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of active service and several distinguished medals.
She holds a Juris Doctorate from the UC College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law); a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco; and a Bachelor of Science degree from Drury University in Missouri.
She worked for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation as a government contract advisor on the law of space exploration. She taught Business Law for the European Division of the University of Maryland, Belgium.
MILITARY AND LEGAL CAREER
Frances began her military career in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) where she served for ten years, first as an enlisted woman, then as an officer after attending Officer Candidate School (OCS). Upon graduation from law school while in the Army, she transitioned into the Army's Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) where she eventually became the Army's JAG highest-ranking woman.
Upon retirement from the Army, she was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service. Her other awards were the Meritorious Service Medal, the Department of Defense Commendation Medal, the US Army Commendation Medal (awarded four times), the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United States Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
Among her multiple Army assignments were WAC Company Commander, Courts Martial Prosecutor, Adjutant of a basic combat training brigade where she was the only woman, Special Assistant to the Army's Judge Advocate General in the Pentagon, and Legal Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity in the Pentagon. She met her husband, Robert Peter Rice, while they were both Army officers in Pirmasens, Germany, and they married there in 1970.
She is the founder and Chairman of the National Black Republican Association which was founded in 2005 and is dedicated to recapturing the rich civil rights legacy of the Republican Party.
Driven by a passion for revealing untold narratives about successful African Americans, Frances chronicles the achievements of little-known heroes, shedding light on their remarkable achievements despite facing obstacles.
Frances wrote the book STEM Pioneers and Visionaries: A Compendium of African American Innovators and Inventors in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which highlights the incredible African Americans who transformed every component of American life with cleverness and resilience.
Frances is also a screenwriter and producer of documentaries with renowned Director Bayer Mack. Their films include:
OSCAR MICHEAUX: THE CZAR OF BLACK HOLLYWOOD
the critically acclaimed documentary film which was nominated for a Black Reel Award as the “Outstanding Independent Documentary” by the Foundation for the Advancement of African Americans in Film (FAAAF).
which tells the story of the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr., father of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and the King family that was runner-up in the documentary category of the San Francisco Black Film Festival.
which is a series about African American entrepreneurs who overcame incredible obstacles and achieved success against the odds in the late 19th century and early 21st century.
Frances and Mack wrote and produced the epic three-part documentary:
BLACK SEEDS: THE HISTORY OF AFRICANS IN AMERICA
the epic three-part documentary that won two awards: "Best Producer" in the Freedom Festival International and “Best Documentary" in the Denton Black Film Festival. The film received an “Honorable Mention” in the Orlando International Film Festival.
It was an “Official Selection” of the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, the African Film Festival, and the Denton Black Film Festival.
