Her Story
About Janice
Janice Frechette-Artinger serves as Executive Director of the Parentis Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Laguna Hills, California. She has led the foundation since its founding 10 years ago, drawing on nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. Under her direction, the foundation operates Empowering Readers of Orange County, its flagship program that delivers one-to-one tutoring and reading support to children in grades 1 through 5. The program's distinctive approach pairs retired seniors with young students for an entire school year, fostering literacy skills alongside meaningful intergenerational mentoring relationships. Frechette-Artinger brings a background that includes early childhood education, launching Family Resource Center programs, volunteer work in elementary schools, and leadership roles in real estate in Connecticut before relocating to California. She excels at forging partnerships that unite for-profit and for-purpose organizations to tackle broader community challenges such as literacy, mental health, and housing insecurity. In addition to her executive role, she serves on multiple boards, including as vice chair of the Orange County Bright Futures Foundation, as well as the boards of the Boys and Girls Club and the Institute for Community Impact. She attributes her success to passion and a commitment to thinking outside the box, and she emphasizes authenticity, active listening, and the value of mentorship in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Janice
01What do you attribute your success to?
Passion and thinking outside the box. I'm fueled by thinking outside the box and seeing when the connections start to happen. That really gets me going.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Love what you do. If you love what you do, it becomes your hobby. Not everything in your job you're going to love, but if you love what you do, those moments sort of just come and go. The bigger picture fuels your why. Also, seek out mentors.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Seek out mentors and identify where they feel the most vulnerable. Find mentors for them to connect with and invest in them so they can have a safe place to talk through and develop those skills. Empower them to trust themselves and connect with a mentor that can lead them to the next step.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The change in education climate and funding. As a nonprofit we're solely funded on donations and fee-for-service. Funding changes depending on the climate of the world and government direction. After the pandemic money flowed in but now they're pulling back on that funding.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity. If you lead with authenticity and you have an ability to listen and react accordingly or just sit in the quiet and just think about what you've learned, you're gonna be able to share that and people will understand that you're authentic. Not perfect, but authentic.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.