Jana was born and raised in Hays, Kansas. Her father was a College Dean and Math Professor and her mother a Homemaker. She has one sister, Judy.

She attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS, majoring first in Interior Design, later switching majors to Business Administration. She has had almost 50 different jobs, including Financial Advisor, Summer Estate Caretaker and Medical Equipment Constructor. Her favorite job was creating and running a yarn shop on the Northern Oregon Coast, but she has always been fascinated by Acting.

Jana has 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren. She has lived in various interesting places including Santa Fe and Corrales, NM and Cannon Beach, Oregon. She lives in Austin, Texas.