Janie was born and raised in Anderson, IN. She loved horses from the get-go, around age 3. She saved her money and acquired her first horse when she was 16. A four-year-old American Saddlebred mare that she trained as a Five-Gated pleasure and show horse. 

Janie Graduated from the University of Kentucky with Bachelor of Science degree in animal science, and her horse went to college with her. Her horsemanship instructor was a retired cavalry officer and taught Dressage and Eventing. The mare was retrained for each of those sports. Janie went on to graduate from Rutgers University with a master’s degree in animal science.

Janie started her career as a lab tech with the University of Kentucky Veterinary Science department in March of 1969. She moved from Lexington in 1970 to accept a position as industry liaison with the newly formed American Horse Council, equine industry trade association, in Washington, DC. She returned to Lexington in May of 1972 to work for The Blood-Horse, a weekly Thoroughbred racing and breeding magazine. In September of 1974, Janie was appointed and accepted the position of executive director of the newly formed Kentucky Horse Council, a state government agency created by the Kentucky legislature to promote, preserve and strengthen the equine industry in Kentucky. Additionally she was appointed to serve as primary industry liaison to the Kentucky Department of Parks relative to the creation of a Master Plan for and development of the Kentucky Horse Park. 

Janie was instrumental in encouraging the Kentucky Horse Council members to approach the Governor and convinced the state to bid on the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships, the US having earned the right to host those based on the Gold Medal Individual Champion, American Bruce Davidson. Kentucky received acceptance of the state’s bid in April 1975. When EEI was formed in 1975, Janie was a member of their first board of directors and Janie served as volunteer chief Dressage steward from the first horse trials held at the Kentucky Horse Park in 1976 through the 1984 Rolex Kentucky Event.

Janie accepted the position as executive vice president of Equestrian Events, Inc. and event director of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in December of 1984. She was appointed eventing discipline director in September 2007 for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games held at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Janie retired from EEI in October of 2010.