Jane Miller Jones

I'm on Twitter as @jhjones (Jane Houston Jones) and my astronomy club @Otastro (Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers)

I am on Facebook as jhjones

I am on LinkedIn as Jane Houston Jones


retired from NASA Jan 2019. I'm an active amateur astronomer who writes articles for magazines, gives talks about science and astronomy to community groups about the NASA planetary missions I worked on - Cassini to Saturn, Juno to Jupiter, InSight to Mars, since 2003, when I switched from Banking and Finance to a day job at NASA. I am lucky to be able to do a lot of amateur Astronomy -- my hobby since 1988 and as my later (started age 50) career dream job with NASA.

Current since January 2019, since 2003: Senior Outreach lead for Planetary missions at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. I developed and implemented informal outreach programs with JPL Education Affairs and NASA Science Mission Directorate. I engaged the public in the excitement of astronomy through volunteer programs, presentations, talks and articles in magazines, and wrote website features. I wrote new mission education/public outreach (E/PO) proposal plans, too! And budgets and proposals and lots of paperwork. I retired from this awesome job Jan 1, 2019.

I was with Bank of America, then consulting at Wells Fargo from 1978-2003. I managed many finance departments, lead product management and project management teams on lots of projects. Before that I was at Bank of Marin while finishing college. I started as a bank proof operator, ended up as a BofA Vice President. Enjoyed it all!

As a banking consultant with Comsys, I wrote securities trading, internet, business banking and telephone banking customer service rep procedures and telephone rep scripts. Lots of fun!

As a Comsys consultant with Pacific Gas and Electric, I tracked project scope on a huge energy utility restructuring project. I estimated project requirement cost and timelines using several interesting project methodologies. I wrote and conducted test phase scripts using a lot of different testing tools. I trained the PG&E staff on project management methodologies, and tracked implementation issues and bugs. Just like banking project and product management, but with different products.

I've pretty much enjoyed all the jobs I've ever had, and now I get paid to do my hobby at NASA.

College of Marin 70-74 AA and AS degrees in Anthropology and Banking
San Francisco State University 75-78 BA Business Administration (Finance and Banking majors)

Then Bank of Marin, Independent Bankshares, WestAmerica 1972-1978 Bank of America Vice President 1978-1995

Then Comsys, Inc. bank and utility industry project management consulting (at Wells Fargo Bank and Pacific Gas and eElectric) 1995-2003

Jefferson Davis and Woodrow Wilson Elementary Schools, Denton (TX) 2nd through 7th grade. K-1st & half of 2nd grade, New Orleans, LA

Miller Creek Middle School, San Rafael 8th grade, Denton Jr. High School, Denton TX 7th grade