Janet Hurley:
CLASS OF 1980
Hillcrest High SchoolClass of 1980
Dallas, TX
University of Texas at DallasClass of 2006
Richardson, TX
Texas Woman's UniversityClass of 1994
Denton, TX
Janet's Story
Life
After graduation I left Texas and attended Marymount College in Salina, KS, where I met my first husband. In 1981 we moved to Ponca City, OK where I attended Northern Oklahoma College and worked at a ladies clothing store. In 1984 I received an Associates Degree in Business from NOC (dubbed no other choice) and promptly returned to Texas. I sold ladies clothing for almost a decade both in the retail and the wholesale end of the business. I also divorced my first husband in 1987.
In 1990 I decided to return back to college to pursue my BachelorÂs Degree. The plan was to obtain a degree in the medical field, either as a nurse or physician assistant. Unfortunately for the medical profession, I was not accepted into a degree program. While pursuing my degree, I met my second husband, James Hurley. We moved to Denton so that I could attend Texas WomanÂs University. One I realized I wasnÂt able to pursue a degree in the medical profession I chose a degree in Community Health, a major that promoted preventing disease rather than treatment after the fact. While attending TWU, I became involved with the American Heart Association and MotherÂs Against Drunk Driving.
Upon graduation I finally married James and began working for the City of LewisvilleÂs Environmental Control Services division. At the City of Lewisville I was responsible for inspecting local industries for potential discharges of pollutants to the sanitary sewer. My career with Lewisville lasted six years and taught me a lot about the regulatory industry and environmental issues.
In August 1999, Ja...Expand for more
mes was killed in a car accident and my life switched again. In 2000, I saw a class being offered by the City of Plano  Master Composter training. I took the class and shortly found myself enmeshed into a world of compost matters and a new group of friends. During the spring of 2001, I took on a task for a City of Plano event that promoted healthy yards. At this event, one of the information tables was integrated pest management (IPM). Since no one else on the compost committee seemed interested, I took this topic on as a challenge, not knowing where this would lead her. My volunteer coordinator took a handout that I developed and showed it to her husband, an urban entomologist, Dr. Mike Merchant.
Several months later Dr. Merchant contacted me about a position that was opening with Texas Cooperative Extension. This position would be working with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico educating them about IPM. I began my career with Extension in August 2001 and I havenÂt looked back. Since opening the Southwest Technical Resource Center (SWTRC) for IPM in Schools and Child Care Facilities, I established a toll-free hotline, a web page, produce a bi-monthly newsletter and conduct numerous IPM trainings in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
In 2004, I returned to school to pursue a MasterÂs Degree in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas. I graduated in 2006 with a great sigh of relief! I live in Plano with my four dogs and travel throughout the state of Texas and nationally educating school personnel about the benefits of integrated pest management.
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