Early life Janis Lyle Laverty was born in Los Angeles, California, raised in
Santa Monica, and graduated from
Stanford University in 1971 with a
bachelor's degree in English. She became a recognized figure in Las Vegas in the 1980s, appearing as a spokeswoman in television commercials for her family's supermarket chain,
Thriftimart, and later a car dealership owned by her then-husband, Fletcher Jones Jr.
Mayor of Las Vegas In 1990, Jones Blackhurst, known then as Jan Jones, ran for mayor of the
city of Las Vegas. She was elected in
1991 and later re-elected in
1995, serving two four-year terms. During her time in office, Las Vegas' population grew significantly and Jones Blackhurst was credited for making the city "more livable" and directing attention towards social issues such as
homelessness and
LGBT rights. She oversaw the redevelopment of the
Fremont Street area, which opened as the current
Fremont Street Experience in 1995. Jones Blackhurst sits on the board of directors of several organizations including Caesars, the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which owns
Allegiant Stadium. She is currently the executive director of the Black Fire Leadership Initiative at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. ==Personal life==