Janice Gillespie received her B.S. degree in geology from Bemidji State University, her M.S. degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and her Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. She retired in 2016 as a professor in the Department of Geosciences at California State University, Bakersfield. She currently works for the USGS on the California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater project.