The College was originally part of the Nova Scotia Teachers College and was known as Child Development Services. When the Nova Scotia Teachers College was dismantled the Province of Nova Scotia asked Dr Jane Norman to continue to run an organization that would benefit the families and children of Nova Scotia by educating early childhood educators to work in licensed care settings.  The Institute for Early Childhood Education and Developmental Services was incorporated in 1992.  

The name was changed in 2002 to the Institute for Human Services Education to better reflect the increased programs around special education, educational assistance, and youth work.  To honour the founder of the College, Dr Jane Norman, the College was renamed in 2016.  The duties and responsibilities of the former Child Development Services program at the Nova Scotia Teachers College were integrated into the objectives of the College.  

Jane Norman College is a registered non-profit organization, and as such is governed by a Board of Governors. The number of members on the Board must be no less than five and no more than thirteen.  The membership of the board must be designed as follows:

a) one may be appointed from the Department of Education
b) one shall be the Executive Director of the College
c)    the remainder of whom are members of the community who support the objects of the Society.

Board of Governors

Susan Henderson – Chair

Donna MacGillivray – Vice Chair

Jane Gourley-Davis

Tracey Dorrington -Skinner

Janet Davison 

Emily Stewart  

Kimberly Elliott

Article 32 of The Memorandum of Association of Jane Norman College describes the powers of the Governors:

“The management of the activities of the Society shall be vested in the governors who, in addition to the powers and authorities by these by-laws or otherwise expressly conferred upon them, may exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Society and are not hereby or by Statute expressly directed or required to be exercised or done by the Society in general meeting.  In particular, the governors shall have power to engage staff and to determine their duties and responsibilities and their remuneration.  The governors may appoint an executive committee, consisting of the officers and such other persons as the governors decide.”