Jan Mirenda Smith

Biography

Current Position: Executive Director, Bergstrom Mahler Museum

Statement: Jan Mirenda Smith's plans for medical school were set aside in favor of following the love of art she had enjoyed since childhood, growing up in a home that fostered creativity.  Her school essays were illustrated-even written on parchment with burned edges in the case of a history paper.  With an MA in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Certificate in Museum Studies, she has enjoyed twenty-five years in the museum profession, currently serving as Executive Director of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah, Wisconsin. With a son just finishing a degree at Boston University's Opera Institute, she and her husband Scott have joined the Fox Valley Torch Club to indulge in their passion for learning.