Janet Dean Gertz: A Life of Resilience and Achievements

Janet Dean Gertz was born on March 29, 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a family of four children. Her arrival was unexpected and her parents saw her as a precious gift after their maternal grandmother's passing just two months prior.

The family moved to Woodland Hills, California, in 1959 when Janet's father accepted a new position with US Borax company. She graduated from Thousand Oaks high school and then from California State University Northridge, where she majored in history. After teaching middle school for one year, Janet secured a job at IBM.

Following her father's death in 1978, Janet moved to Connecticut with her mother to start anew. They relocated again to New York when Janet transferred to the IBM headquarters. She dedicated herself to caring for her mother until her passing in 1995.

Janet then pursued a law degree at the University of San Diego, where she graduated and published an article that won the best student-authored award. Her career flourished with several corporate law firms before retiring to Charleston in 2022.