Jana Schmader, Executive Director

Jul 16, 2020

Jana was born and raised in Wichita Falls. After graduating from Rider High School, she attended Midwestern State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. She also holds her Nonprofit Management Certificate and is a graduate of the Nonprofit Management Institute.

Prior to work at Downtown Wichita Falls Development, Jana worked for Midwestern State University Dillard College of Business as a Marketing Coordinator before taking over as Director of the Forum and leading them through the Renaissance of the Forum Capital Campaign.

Jana started volunteering for Downtown Development in 2015 before joining the Downtown Steering Committee in 2017. In January of 2018, she officially became the Executive Director for Downtown Wichita Falls Development.

Jana’s main job duties are overall organizational management; business recruitment, retention and expansion into the district; economic development project manager; liaison between business/property owners and the City; event & festival manager; membership director…and just about anything else the job calls for!

Her favorite part of her job is feeling like her skill set meets her passion, and that never makes for a day of “working” in her life. She will tell you Downtown has become her extended family and that’s why working hard for all of the entrepreneurs represented in the district is both an honor and a privilege.

When Jana’s not Downtown, you can find her with the best joys of her life, Jett (7) and Jentry (4). She enjoys Cowboys football (true fan!), music and being around friends and family. Fun facts: Jana was born on Halloween, will never produce a festival without her bedazzled fanny pack, her first job was Casa Manana (can’t get out of Downtown!), and Wizard of Oz is her all time favorite anything (she’s been to the official museum).