Jan Grist was born during the Baby Boomer years. Both of her parents served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. They met at Pearl Harbor and later married in 1947. Jan has lived in three different counties in California. She spent her youth in San Mateo County and then moved to Santa Cruz County. As much as life by the beach was very nice, the commute to Hollister as a teacher was too much.

Jan started her second career as teacher in 1990 at Rancho San Justo. She later moved to Marguerite Maze Middle School when it opened in September of 1994. By 2002, her residence in San Benito County became permanent. She feels very blessed that she has had two different careers for forty-seven years and has loved both jobs.

When she retired from teaching, she was not ready to leave education. She decided to run for the Board of Education. She was interested in making some changes in how HSD conducts business. Her time on the Board has been very fulfilling as the district has been making many changes in the district to promote a sense of ownership for all stakeholders in the HSD community.

Jan knows that the district has a way to go, but recognizes that the district has been planting the seeds of collaboration with our staff, community groups, and parents. Jan knows with the leadership of Superintendent Sanchez, we will change the culture of the district where all stakeholders feel they have a voice in our district.