TIME magazine names Jan Rader one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.
By Kasey Madden
HQ 102 | SUMMER 2018
Joining the ranks of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oprah Winfrey, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and NBA Star Kevin Durant, Huntington Fire Chief Jan Rader was named to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People for 2018 for her work in battling the city’s opioid epidemic.
“I feel like this is for our community, it wasn’t really for me. I feel like it should be a community appointment to that list,” Rader said. “We, as a community, have banned together to work on this issue and we, as a community, are doing the right thing. I’m just one small cog in the wheel.”
When she was first notified about the announcement by email, Rader said it took her a few days to believe it was real.
“I thought someone was ‘punking’ me, I thought someone was playing a joke, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around it, like how has this happened?” Rader said.
The list breaks down the winners into five categories based on their achievements and spheres of influence, including: Titans, Pioneers, Artists, Leaders and Icons.
Listed as a “Pioneer” by TIME, Rader is next to names like 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim and Peggy Whitson, the first female chief of the NASA Astronaut Office.
“There are amazing people doing amazing work in this world and it actually is a battery recharger. It gives you hope in not just what you’re doing, but in humanity.”
A Google search of Rader’s name elicits over 3 million results in less than half a second, most of which are headlines highlighting her work in fighting the opioid crisis in our community.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said in the article on Rader featured in TIME, “If every city had a chief like Jan Rader, our country would be a better place.”
Rader was invited and attended the Time 100 Gala on April 24 at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
“It was very surreal and amazing, I pinched myself the whole night,” Rader said, a native of Ironton, Ohio.
TIME’s list of 100 Most Influential people began in 1999, when they released “TIME 100: The Most Important People of the Century.” The list of 100 Most Influential People began to run regularly after the 2004 issue.
From the cover of Huntington Quarterly’s Autumn 2017 issue to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People for 2018, Jan Rader’s impact on our community and the country continues to grow.
