Jan has been the Executive Chair since the Committee was established in 1998. She is an historian with an interest in Aboriginal History, Local History and the Murray River Region. Her PhD looked at the interaction between Aboriginal people and Europeans along the Murray River over a 100 year period with a strong focus on how land management practices utilized by both groups impacted upon their interaction.

Jan was until recently the CEO of the Goldfields Library Corporation which managed the libraries between Gisborne in the south and Pyramid Hill in the north with its headquarters in Bendigo. Prior to that she was the Director – Museums at Sovereign Hill Museums, Ballarat. She was also Chair of the Heritage Council, Victoria for several years and takes a special interest in the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings and archaeological sites as tourism components.

She has been a professional historian most of her working life producing reports, histories and other commissioned works. She also taught the Master of Public History at Monash University for several years and has lectured and taught at several universities across a range of fields including tourism. With a strong interest in South East Asia, Jan also developed her own tourism business, managing and leading tours to the area as well building a successful book import business from suppliers in India.