John was in Law Enforcement for 12 years, including being a School Resource Officer for six years. For the last three years he has been the Director of the Safe and Secure Schools Unit at the Kansas Department of Education.

Linda Long is the Support/Homeless Services Coordinator for Haysville Public Schools, USD #261.  She has served Haysville in this role for 21 years.  She holds a B.S in Psychology/Human Services for Friends University in Wichita, KS.   Linda is the 2nd longest serving McKinney Vento liaison in the state.  In addition to her role with the school system, she serves as a board member for Family Promise of Greater Wichita.  She was appointed in 2017 by KSDE to the Citizen Review Panel for Custody to Transition issues for the state of Kansas representing those who work with homeless youth and currently serves in that role.  Linda is also a trainer for Love and Logic Inc. for parents and educators and has presented numerous trainings on homeless education issues.   

Maureen Ruhlman is the McKinney Vento Coordinator for the State of Kansas; a position she has held for a little over two years.  Maureen was employed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for 17 years prior to joining the Kansas State Department of Education and held several positions during that time.  Ms. Ruhlman currently oversees the Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant program that distributes federal funds to school districts specifically for students experiencing homelessness.  Maureen has a Bachelor’s degree in science from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in secondary school counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.