Jan Gauger Richards

Jan grew up in Ames and planned from her early days to attend Iowa State University where her parents had both completed their college degrees. When her interest leaned toward Textiles and Clothing after years of sewing the decision about where to go to college was an easy one. Jan began her college years majoring in Textiles and Clothing/Business emphasis. She found she was also drawn to Journalism and in her junior year added a second major. Jan was involved in numerous campus activities during her time at Iowa State including the Student Alumni Association the Iowa State Daily Publications Board and as a writer/editor for the Daily. Following graduation in 1977 Jan moved to Kansas City where like her mother she worked briefly for the local unit of the National Dairy Council. She moved back to Ames when she married Gary Richards and began work as an editor and manager for an international association in the food industry. When she and her husband moved to Davenport IA she started a small consulting business and began business school at the University of Iowa. The next move took Jan her husband and baby-on-the-way (whom she later found out was Anne Elizabeth) to San Jose CA where Gary began work at the San Jose Mercury News. Following Anne's birth in May 1984 Jan completed an MBA at the University of California at Berkeley graduating on Anne's second birthday. She began work at Apple Computer as a financial analyst and later became involved in helping improve Apple's key business processes such as product development. Jan had her second child Matthew Clark in January 1992. Late in 1993 Jan again started a consulting business this time working with high-tech companies on process analysis and improvement. She was chosen as a member of the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1994 and 1995. She volunteers for several community activities including the board of trustees at her daughter's school and the Board of Examiners for the United Way's national service quality award. Happily established in a family of four with a growing young business Jan finds life busy but satisfying in 1995. Her daughter a 5th grader is busy with school and athletics and her son 3 shows the same inclinations. Her husband always a fun and challenging marriage partner keeps life interesting. 3/2/95