2007: Jan Langbein

The Junior League of Dallas

Causes/Issue Area(s): Domestic Violence

Honors/Achievements: Executive Director of Genesis Women’s Shelter, Mayor’s Task Force on Domestic Violence

The 2007 Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award winner is Jan Langbein. A member of the Junior League of Dallas, Texas for 27 years, Langbein has made significant contributions to her community through extensive work addressing the issue of domestic violence. Through a Junior League placement at Genesis Women’s Shelter, she became passionately involved in the shelter’s operations, services, and outreach, becoming the organization’s Executive Director only a few years later. Her work has made a lasting impact on local organizations, where she is a well-known guest speaker and influential mentor. Her innovative thinking has led to many new collaborations and tailor-made services for victims of domestic violence.

Langbein’s membership and leadership in the Junior League of Dallas have made a tremendous difference in the League’s ability to serve, improve, and enrich the lives of those in need. She has worked on various committees including the League’s public policy committee, and as an advisor for the Community Assistance Fund. Her work also led to the development of The League's Resource Guide for Ending Domestic Violence: Safe Homes, Safe Communities, which won the 2000 Clarion Award for excellence in communications. What she considers her most exciting contributions to The Junior League, however,  have been her many invitations to speak to Provisional classes across the country on “Making a Difference In Your Community.”

Outside of her League work, Langbein’s commitment to addressing family violence and her vocalness about women’s advocacy have helped make these accessible and important issues in the Dallas community. Serving as both a volunteer and a professional, Langbein’s experience includes serving on the Mayor’s Task Force on Domestic Violence, as a board member and Public Policy Committee Member of the Texas Council on Family Violence, and as a board member of the North Texas Food Bank.