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Jan has a Bachelor’s degree from Siena and masters degrees from Springfield College and Harvard University. She is considered to be one of New England’s leading private college consultants. Her private consulting business, Traynor Educational Consulting LLC, was founded in 1990 and is an organization in the schools and educational services industry located in Norwalk, CT.  

Over the course of her career, Jan has toured over 3,000 colleges in 48 states. In 1998, Jan spoke with the New York Times about her passion for young people and education. “ Ms. Traynor says she likes to work with students from their sophomore year in high school or earlier. ‘What's nice when you meet kids early,'' she says, ''is you can find out what their talents and interests are.’ ''

Jan is married to Russell MacDonnell and together they have seven children and eleven grandchildren.  

In addition to her work as a trustee on Siena’s Board, Jan serves on the Board of the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk. Jan is a volunteer with the Lost Tree Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. Her other interests include travel and outdoor activities.

A fun fact about Jan is that she loves “husband surprises,” and on two "ordinary" nights out she made arrangements that resulted in her and her husband having dinner with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace and Ambassador Tom Foley at his official residence in Ireland. Cheers!