Jan came to live on the coast in Roberts Creek in 2015. After working and living around the world the Sunshine Coast is now home and she is looking forward to giving back to the community which has been so welcoming to her. Jan’s working life has always been focused on helping individuals, communities and grass root organizations overcome disadvantage and take more control over their own lives.
In Scotland Jan worked in community development, and in organizational development and training provision for not-for-profits. She has supported partnerships enabling organizations to work together, share resources and be able to respond to major policy changes. Jan was a Fellow of the Office of Public Management in the UK where she was able to develop innovative ways to engage with communities, service users, patients and carers. She has worked for both the Scottish Government and UK Government. In Scotland she helped develop and manage a knowledge hub on tackling poverty and urban regeneration and participated in cross Europe projects focusing on Social Return on Investment. Jan also worked for the UK Government as a policy team leader to carry out a policy review and then provide evidence based policy options to tackle deprivation in the poorest neighborhoods.
Jan is a qualified Myers Briggs consultant and NLP practitioner. In the Dominican Republic, UK, New Zealand, and now in the Canada she mentors individuals to help them make life choices, improve their relationships, their ability to communicate well, and resolve conflicts. With not-for-profits Jan helps develop effective planning processes, team-building, engagement initiatives and evaluation.