Community important to theater manager

Jan Elliott grew up in Portales and was raised by her grandparents. She was very active in sports. She graduated from Portales High School in 1980 and in 1986 she earned a teaching degree from Eastern New Mexico University.

link Staff photo: D'Nieka Hartsfield

Jan Elliott at the YAM Theater offices in located at 219 Main St. in Portales.

From 1986 until 1989, Elliott worked at The Portales News-Tribune as a reporter, wire editor and photographer; from there she moved on to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Clovis for 22 years.

In June of 2012, Elliott took a year off of work to make more time for doing the activities she loves.

After a year-long break from working, Elliott accepted a job at the Portales Chamber. In December 2014, she was named executive director of the Portales MainStreet program.

In January, Elliott began managing the historic YAM Theater in Portales.

“I want to make people happy. I want to make people laugh and I want to make their events special,” Elliott said.

What do you think about eastern New Mexico?

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to some amazing places in the world, but eastern New Mexico is simply attractive. With its rolling plains, mountains three-hours away, snowy winters, and beautiful summers, you experience the best of all seasons. I love the wide-open spaces of eastern New Mexico and it’s beautiful beyond words.

What is your favorite part about your job?

The most rewarding aspect is working with local citizens who are passionate about the revitalization of Downtown Portales and witnessing the pride they express when we — as a team — experience success in a project or goal. Revitalization keeps me moving forward, plus the autonomy of a managerial position with little repetition on a daily basis, and the joy of witnessing the pride of many volunteers responsible for each success in the completion of a Downtown project or an event. I truly enjoy having the skills to add a special touch to someone’s special event.

What do you not like about your job?

The most difficult aspect about being a director of a MainStreet program is keeping a community focused on a long range plan when an individual and/or group decides that their ideas are better than the five-year vision created by the board of directors or community; and the naysayers.

When you were a kid, what did you envision your life being like as an adult?

Pro basketball or tennis player. Certainly, not a newspaper reporter and photographer for four years at Portales News-Tribune or employed with a regional emergency medical services corporation for 22 years of which I served as executive director for 16 years.

Who’s invited to your fantasy dinner party and why?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Buddha, The Kennedy family, President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama, Hillary Clinton, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Ellen DeGeneres and partner, my life partner and the father I never knew.

What is your theme song/s?

Music empowers, inspires, motivates and gets my creative energy flowing, so I would have to say “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy, “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner, and “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.

What’s your favorite TV show, past and present?

“Gentle Ben,” “Mayberry RFD,” “Gunsmoke,” “Downtown Abbey,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Orange is the New Black,” “True Detective” and “Veep.”

Who is your favorite entertainer?

As an actor, Leonardo DiCaprio; actress Meryl Streep; Music Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles.

What is your favorite taste?

Any home-cooked meal.

What is your favorite smell?

Pinto beans cooked in a pressure cooker and hamburger meat seasoned, topped with onions frying on top of the stove.

What do you envision your life being like in 10 years?

Ten years from now…living comfortably, looking after myself and those around me, spending quality time with my partner and traveling the world, being free of financial worries, living a healthy lifestyle, running my own business from home or remotely, continuing my spiritual path, protecting my rights, surrounding myself with lots of pets as well as golfing buddies. Finally, I hope to be reading about the successes’ of my predecessor as the executive director of the Portales MainStreet Program. I will retire my smartphone for a simple flip-phone for personal use only, and end my daily inspirational quotes with… when we are truly confident and secure, the opinions of others cannot control us.

— Compiled by CMI Advertorial/ Editorial writer: D’Nieka Hartsfield