More about Janet

Became a Mom

I grew up in Little Theatre audiences. My mom was the original “Little Johnny Appleseed,” not with apple seeds—but with Little Theaters and Arts Councils. If we moved to a town that didn’t have one, she’d help start it. Those theaters were my babysitters growing up—listening to rehearsals, going over lines, learning that art isn’t a luxury. It’s how communities connect, how kids find confidence, and how people make something together.

My senior year of high school, I tried out for a play—*Damn Yankees*—and landed a role in the chorus. That’s where I met the man who would become my husband. We married the summer after graduation, and a year later, our family grew—baby made three.

That’s the thread of my life: build community, show up consistently, and keep working—because when you’ve watched the arts bring people together, you don’t settle for less than a community that works for everyone.

School and Work

Learning to cook

When our marriage dissolved, I had my high school diploma and he had his PhD. It was time to get busy. I didn’t have a plan so much as a starting point—I could sew—so I enrolled in a fashion merchandising degree with a business minor, and I taught myself how to cook along the way.

One summer I took 18 credit hours, including an economics course. My teacher—someone who reminded me of Betty Crocker—brought calculus into the explanations. Suddenly it all clicked. It was like the sky opened up—I could almost see the calculations forming as the concepts came together.

I transferred out of fashion merchandising into accounting. I finished my degree averaging 20 hours a semester, working part-time as a waitress at about the same hourly rate waitresses are still paid.

The minimum wage for waitresses was last raised in 1991—to $2.13 per hour. We can do better than that, and we should.

Healthcare crisis

My college career was interrupted by a health scare. Thankfully, I was a full-time student, and my parents had health insurance so I was able to be covered. If I hadn’t had that coverage, I could still be paying off medical debt. And if I’d had that health scare in Texas today, I might not be here—I had endometriosis and needed a D&C, which isn’t an option in Texas right now.

Women’s health care shouldn’t depend on where you live or whether you can afford the cost of delay. When basic care like time-sensitive procedures and reliable coverage are taken away, people don’t just suffer—they risk their health and even their lives.

1st Job out of School - investigating public corruption

Office of the State Auditor Investigative Auditor

I began my career with the State of Mississippi Office of the State Auditor in the Investigative Audit Division, where I worked under State Auditor Ray Mabus and Director of Investigations Louisa Dixon. I helped lay the groundwork for Operation Pretense, which put over 50 corrupt politicians in prison for procurement fraud. That experience gave me an early foundation in investigative review, government accountability, and ethical public service.

To qualify for CPA licensure, I later transferred to County Audit to gain the required governmental auditing experience under a certified public accountant. That transition expanded my background in public finance, compliance, and audit practices, and helped shape the professional standards I have carried throughout my career.

My work has been grounded in integrity, careful analysis, and responsible stewardship of public resources. I value roles that require sound judgment, attention to detail, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.

20 year career

I spent 20 years building a career in governmental accounting and audit—focused on accountability, fraud detection, and protecting public dollars.

After I left investigations, I worked with the Office of the State Auditor auditing county governments, independent school districts, state agencies, universities, and community colleges. I worked extensively with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME grant compliance, both as an auditor and as a management consultant, ensuring funds were properly administered and used as intended.

I’ve partnered closely with the OIG and served as an Internal Auditor for municipalities. I’ve also worked in private practice, and as Comptroller (CFO) in Mississippi for Hancock County and the City of Pass Christian, and the City of Ocean Springs.

Whether as an auditor or as finance leadership, I’ve delivered independent oversight for municipalities, governmental agencies, counties, and school districts—driving corrective action, strengthening controls, and holding systems to the standard taxpayers deserve.

I’m bringing that same proven discipline and commitment to District 14: results, accountability, and integrity in government.

Hurricane Katrina

Waveland MIssissippi after Hurricane Katrina

For some people, climate change is still a theory, a partisan argument, or a problem for someone else’s future. For those of us shaped by Hurricane Katrina’s destruction on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it is none of those things. It is personal. I remember what storm surge did to roads, homes, and whole neighborhoods; I remember how quickly the familiar became unrecognizable. A year later, my family relocated to Texas A&M University, but relocation did not erase what Katrina taught me: when we ignore climate risk, the cost is paid in communities, not concepts.

City of College Station, Assistant Director of Finance/Budget Manager

When our family relocated to the Brazos Valley, I continued my career of public service at the City of College Station—first as Budget Manager and then as Assistant Director of Finance—where I helped protect public dollars and keep essential services running.

"Saved" the City of Waveland

One of the toughest situations I ever faced started with a call from Waveland, Mississippi. They were “upside down” on federal disaster grants that were on a reimbursement basis, and without the cash flow needed for payroll, they had already reduced personnel to just 20 essential employees. With no bankruptcy option, Waveland was at serious risk of losing its charter—while state auditors investigated whether malfeasance had occurred.

I stepped in to help. I reworked their accounting, procurement, and payroll/human resources systems, and I worked side-by-side with Mississippi Emergency Management and FEMA to put the cash-flow plan back on track. That meant pre-auditing expenditures so reimbursement dollars could come in on time and the city could pay its bills.

When I arrived, Waveland had a Disclaimed Audit Opinion. Two years later, they had a clean (Unqualified) Audit Opinion and cash reserves.

That’s the kind of competence and accountability I’ll bring to District 14—solving problems, restoring trust, and protecting the resources families depend on.

Texas A&M University, Academic/Business Administrator

Public Service

2022 Nominee for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

2020 Nominee for Texas House District 14

Antina Ranch

During 2023, I worked briefly as CFO with Antina Ranch after my statewide race for Texas Comptroller. During the Comptroller campaign, I saw the Texas Monthly reporting on the geyser in the Permian Basin.

The Chevron CT112 geyser flowed ~25k bbld for 2 weeks

I visited Antina Ranch in Crane County, Texas, where I was hosted and toured the property with Sarah Stogner and Hawk Dunlap. We reviewed areas including leaking wells, and I also visited Lake Boehmer in neighboring Pecos County. I first met Sarah in Montgomery County, Texas, when she was campaigning for Railroad Commissioner. While I was seated in Antina Ranch's Hacienda, I heard stories about Ashley and Christina’s mother, Mary, whose sudden sickness and death was thought to have been due to tainted water on the ranch, and I learned that the cattle had been moved to protect them.

Hawk Dunlap—2026 Railroad Commissioner candidate—spoke with me in depth about produced water and produced-water disposal, orphan wells (wells that had never been properly plugged), and how deteriorating well plugs can affect groundwater. He shared his perspective based on more than 30 years of hands-on oilfield experience around the world.

I also met with Ty Edwards, Executive Director of the Pecos Groundwater District in Fort Stockton, Texas, where he showed me how local aquifers sit in relation to Lake Boehmer. I obtained testing results from samples taken at Lake Boehmer and shared them with a former Railroad Commission geologist I met while campaigning in El Paso, who interpreted the findings for me.

Finally, I met (Zoom) with Robert Mace, Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, to discuss Lake Boehmer and potential next steps. Lake Boehmer is still flowing.

I’m a CPA, and my work with Antina Ranch was strictly accounting-focused. My interest in Antina and the danger of groundwater contamination goes back to Katrina and, before that, to my spouse’s cancer—something I was concerned could have been linked to well water.

Texas has 2 water crises. We're running out of potable (drinking) water and we've got way too much "produced" water. We need to require industry, like data centers, to recycle produced water for their cooling needs. From the testimony given this summer to the Natural Resources Committee, this is within their reach.

Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG)

CFO at Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG), leading finance strategy, budgeting, financial reporting, compliance, and risk management across public-sector programs. I partnered with executive leadership and program teams to strengthen internal controls, improve forecasting accuracy, and ensure timely, accurate reporting to stakeholders and funding partners. 

I bring a focus on operational excellence—streamlining processes, strengthening policies and procedures, supporting grant and contract financial management, and driving continuous improvement in audit readiness and financial governance. I’m committed to delivering transparent, dependable financial stewardship that helps BVCOG fulfill its mission and serve the community.

Education

• Millsaps College, Else School of Business - Master of Business Administration

• University of Southern Mississippi - Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting

• Warren Central High School - Public School High School Diploma

License/Certification

Certified Public Accountant, Texas State Board of Public Accountancy

Certified Financial Governmental Officer, Government Finance Officers Association of Texas

Professional Memberships

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)

Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT)

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Trainings

Texas Cannabis Policy, January 2026

GFOAT Property Tax - Budget Academy, February 2026

Produced Water Society 11th Annual Permian Basin Conference & Exhibition, planned August 2026

Community

• Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, STARs Volunteer

• College Station Noon Lions Club, Past Treasurer

• Bryan Rotary Club, Past Grants Committee

• Beverly Estates HOA, Past Treasurer

• Texas A&M Women's Club, Past Assistant Treasurer

• Brazos County Branch of the NAACP, Past Board Member

• Bay-Waveland Garden Club, Past President

• Christ Episcopal Church, Past Vestry Member

• Former Texas Master Naturalist

• Former Mississippi Master Gardner

• Indivisible, Texas Lege Healthcare Committee, 2021

• Texas Democratic Party, Former Rules Committee, SD5, 2018

• Texas Democratic Party, 2022 Nominee Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

• Texas Democratic Party, 2020 Nominee Texas House District 14

• Texas Democratic Women, Former At-Large Board Member, 2018

• Texas Democratic Women, Former Audit Committee, 2018, 2019

• Texas Democratic Women of the Brazos Valley, Former President, 2021

• Texas Democratic Women of the Brazos Valley, Former Silent Auction Chair, 2018