Name: Jan Walters to CCFL, Janet Walters to my family and hometown friends.
Job Title: Director of Curriculum Development
Where do you hail from:
I was born in Denver but grew up in Jerseyville, Illinois–the county seat and corn country. It is an hour from St. Louis, Missouri.
What is it they say you do:
It depends upon who “they” are. Professionally I work to serve children, families, and those that work with them by being a piece of the complex puzzle that is the CCFL training staff. My job is one of analyzing, writing, reviewing, and oversight and it requires a broad understanding of the issues that impact children and families and the discipline to pay attention to detail and ask others to do the same. Some descriptors used to generally identify me might be planner, worrier, counselor, or advocate.
Who are your early influences/who inspired you most:
My earliest and strongest influence was my mother. I have also been strongly influenced by the people I met while serving in the Peace Corps in Honduras, the women I worked with while completing my dissertation. Marie Arnot-Fischer and Rob Hillestad were my most influential faculty members.
What has been your greatest source of career satisfaction/ proudest achievement:
My greatest point of career satisfaction is actually twofold. First, I stood up and taught classes to over one hundred young men in Spanish at the Escuela Agricola Panamericana in Honduras after completing a 10 week emersion Spanish and acculturation class. Secondly, I completed my PhD while caring for my ill mother, three kids, and working full time at CCFL.
What has been an unexpected detour/ greatest frustration/disappointment:
My greatest detour (not sure this is the right word) has been the loss of my husband to cancer seven years ago.
What is your passion/what you are drawn to/what motivates you/where do you hope to be in five years:
I have many things I care about deeply but the most important are building strong families and communities and being courageous. In my research one of the participants told me you have to be able to “walk through your fears” to be successful in life. I try to be courageous and sometimes it is very hard. In five years, I hope to be doing relevant work somewhere in the world. It may be caring for grandchildren, opening my home to others, or living three months of the year in various parts of the world just to get to know the people in that area.
Family life/hobbies /community involvement:
I am grateful that in today’s world you can chat with your family via FaceTime every day. My family lives all over the country so one of my most important hobbies is traveling to see them. I enjoy art, music, and throwing dinner parties that last three-four hours or more. I am involved on community boards and serve as a volunteer for various groups that serve children, immigrants, and those transitioning out of difficult places or that have a goal of education about the importance of experiencing and preserving nature.
The quotation I live my life by is...... Everyone needs a “go to person” in his or her life. (Janet Walters)