Jo Ann Mueller was born on December 16, 1930 and grew up in California, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana. She and her husband, Hal Mueller, arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956 when he accepted a meteorologist position. In addition to raising their two children, Mueller was active in the Parent Teacher Association, worked for Weight Watchers, and was a volunteer with the League of Women Voters.

Janis Riceberg moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1974 while attending Long Beach State University. She worked as a special education teacher for the Clark County School District for twenty years and began teaching at the College of Southern Nevada in 2003.