Award-winning Kentucky based author and entrepreneur, Janet Holloway’s talents are apparent in the dizzying array of work she’s done in her lifetime, ranging from high school Spanish and English teacher in Michigan, to theatre production in NYC, public relations for renowned theatre producer Jean Dalrymple, youth worker in East Harlem, university instructor and state director of both the New Jersey and Kentucky Small Business Development Center Networks. After sixteen years in small business development, she decided it was time to start her own enterprise, which was the beginning of Women Leading Kentucky, a non-profit that provides leadership opportunities for women and scholarships for women attending KY colleges/universities. At present, Women Leading KY (www.womenleadingky.com) has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships since its inception in 2000. Also, Janet enjoys mentoring women at the early stages of their career, as well as women in transition.
Janet is a sought-after motivational speaker, an active Board member of The Lyric Theatre in Lexington and is Board Chair for The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. A writer since she was a child, Janet has published dozens of articles and business profiles for Business Lexington and Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as a profile for the inaugural edition of Cake and Whiskey. Janet has won awards for her short stories, The Parties and the Music and Willful Child, and, most recently, won 2nd place in the 2014 West Virginia Writers Competition for her non-fiction story, The Letters. She has written and published a memoir called A Willful Child, which has garnered considerable attention and rave reviews. (See amazon.com)
With Carol Cone and Jean Chatzky
She received her B.A. from Marshall University, an MSW from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and is ABD from Columbia University. She lives in Lexington KY with her rescued Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sadie. Janet is an avid reader, arts supporter, and committed to collaboration and diversity in her work.
Janet’s second book, “Leaving … Sometimes You Have to Leave” will be released July 2017. This book will share some of the marvelous experiences she’s had over the years, the lessons learned and how the non-profit Women Leading KY was developed. Women Leading KY, now in its sixteenth year, brings together more than 1,000 women and men each year. Janet is very proud of this organization.