Meet Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb

Meet Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb

First Lady Janet Holcomb is the wife of Indiana’s 51st Governor Eric Holcomb. She grew up on a horse farm near Muncie, Indiana, where horses and ponies were her first passion in life. Janet rode competitively and loved participating in regional shows and 4-H.

She also developed a love of the arts, particularly drawing, early in life and went on to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts at Ball State University. She was active in a number of campus organizations and was a member of a sorority. As a master’s candidate at Ball State, Janet held a graduate assistantship with the David Owsley Museum of Art.

As the daughter and granddaughter of small business owners, some of her most valuable lessons were learned at the family dinner table. Beginning in 2009, she served as vice president of her family’s manufacturing business, R&R Engineering, which has been producing and distributing bolts and fasteners across the U.S. and Canada for 50 years. For a decade prior to joining the business, Janet led many record-setting political fundraising efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. She has used her fundraising experience to benefit many non-profit organizations, including veterans’ groups, social service providers, animal welfare, arts organizations, and scouting programs.

Janet’s initiatives as First Lady are as broad as her interests. They include combating infant mortality, promoting the arts, supporting the state’s economic development efforts and promoting women in business. She enjoys encouraging youth organizations such as 4-H and scouting. Janet serves on the boards of Riley Children’s Foundation, the Hoosier Salon, and the alumni chapter of the Indianapolis FBI Citizens Academy.

Janet particularly enjoys sharing her passion for shooting sports and personal protection with other women. Earning her pistol instructor certification in 2015, she has led training classes throughout the state, often partnering with the Indiana National Guard and members of law enforcement.

In her role as First Lady, she frequently encourages young people to always try new things as one means of establishing an attitude of life-long learning. Following her own advice, Janet has appeared in two-holiday movies, grown a giant pumpkin, learned the art of cutting cattle on horseback, and appeared in an episode of the hunting show, “Pursue the Wild”, during which she successfully completed a Colorado Elk Hunt.

Janet enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, equestrian and bicycle riding, and anything that involves being outdoors, including fishing, hunting, and hiking.

Governor and First Lady Holcomb live in the Indiana Governor’s Residence with First Dog Henry. It should be noted that Henry, a miniature Schnauzer, has thousands of fans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.