Jan Beckett

2022 Civic Leader of the Year

An honorary Kewpie for her volunteer work at Hickman High School, Jan Beckett has worn many hats throughout her service to her family and her community. A graduate of the MU School of Nursing, she has worked as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, med surgery and surgical ICU at MU Health, in Oakland, California and at Boone Health. She was a critical care nurse Business Manager of her husband’s medical office for 25 years. She officially retired from nursing in 2006 but hasn’t slowed down since.

Through her years of community service and more than 50 years of involvement with healthcare, she has built meaningful relationships, fostered collaboration, she gives back freely and with commitment, all the while being an enthusiastic celebrant. She took the 2013 GMLC Challenge to heart and enriches the lives of women helping them broaden their perspectives which ultimately helps solve some of the critical issues facing our community and state.

Jan was a founding member and President of the Board of the Assistance League of Mid-Missouri; was a founding board member of the Vincent P. Gurucharri Foundation (providing aid to families of cancer patients); founder and continued supporter of the Columbia Public Schools Foundation;

member of the Columbia Metro Rotary club and participates in their charitable activities including weekly readings to pre-school children at the Columbia Public Schools Early Childhood Learning Center; member and former Board Member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and past chair of the Ambassador program.

Jan has served on the Boone Hospital Board of Trustees since 2011 and is the current Secretary of the Board working tirelessly to keep high quality health care available to all citizens of the region. She is providing important leadership as they have gone through a monumental governance transition. Jan has never wavered and continually puts in whatever effort it takes to make this transition a success for future generations.