Jan Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon history, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter-Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She served as president of the Mormon History Association, and was both the first woman and first non-church member to do so. In addition to many articles and reviews for both popular and scholarly periodicals, she is the author of “Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition,” which is often used as a textbook in college and university courses on American religions. Her objective “outsider” position garnered respect from Mormons and non-Mormons alike, and she was frequently sought after to provide context any time the LDS church was featured in the news.