Dr. Janice Kurth
Janice Kurth, M.D., Ph.D., is a retired genetics and biotech expert who now commits
herself to her second career—volunteerism. Prior to joining the MiraCosta College
Foundation Board in 2016, Janice served in many leadership capacities for the Rotary
Club of Del Mar. In 2010, she led a team of healthcare professionals as part of a
Group Study Exchange to Rotary District 9200 in East Africa. Years later, she went
on to become the District Governor for Rotary District 5340, where she completed the
largest district fundraising campaign of $32 million for The Rotary Foundation.
In addition to her legacy as a volunteer, Janice is known for being an integral part of the biotech boom in the region. Her professional career included academic and industrial biomedical research, product and software development, and consulting for biomedical and pharmaceutical companies. Throughout her career, she helped biotech companies scale up and grow to become the impactful corporations they are today. As a result of this experience, she recognizes the intrinsic connection between MiraCosta and the regional economy. Janice sees MiraCosta’s groundbreaking Biomanufacturing Program as a catalyst that provides students with skills that give them a head start when coming out of school and entering the regional workforce.
When Janice was asked to join the MiraCosta College Foundation's Board of Directors, the decision was more than practical, it was personal. Years ago, one of Janice’s two daughters was in between schools and spent a semester at MiraCosta. As she described it, MiraCosta was a lifesaver for her daughter and that experience helped Janice and her husband realize how important a resource MiraCosta College is to the community. Today, they are longtime champions for education and the opportunities that community colleges provide to students.
Janice brings decades worth of philanthropy experience and community relationships to her foundation board service at MiraCosta. She remains active with Rotary and its global network, is a board member of the San Diego Women’s Foundation, serves on the board of Girl Scouts San Diego, and dedicates her time to mentoring teens and young adults in the community.
In recognition of her decades-long commitment to service, Janice has received a variety of awards and accolades, including a nomination for the United Nations Eleanor Roosevelt Global Citizen Award.