Gracie (Specks) Bradford has witnessed her share of medical miracles. She started her professional career working in pediatrics medical nutrition while culminating her career as a senior leadership executive overseeing elderly patients and veterans in veteran hospitals. Although it took her 20 years to find her passion for writing telling her stories now about the power of pet therapy in the healing process of children with special needs, its here to stay.  Gracie asked herself, “why now?” She answered herself with a “why not now?” Thus, came the birth of the character Lady Bird, an adorable beagle. 

Gracie is the mother of one pet lover son, one daughter, one-mile-high grandson, one typical beagle grand-dog and one king terrier grand-dog that she swears has all the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disease (ADHD). She proudly honors her three sisters who are school teachers/administrators as women of a noble profession.

Gracie graduated from Grambling State University, Grambling, Louisiana and holds a Master’s Degree from University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix.  Through her job presence, she has mentored/coached diverse employees, students, and patients at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas; the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas; VA hospitals in Chicago, Muskogee, Amarillo, Shreveport, Temple, Waco, and Alexandria. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, the American College of Health Care Executives, as well as the American Business Women Organization (ABWA).

Gracie is the CEO of her company, MBradford Management Associates, LLC in Pearland, Texas. She retired in 2012 as Medical Center Director with a goal to travel to all continents before 2017.  Her hobbies include taking pictures of unique trees and flowers from around the world. And of course, she never fails to find a single frog (not live ones) to add to her enormous frog collection back home in Texas.