Kerrie Lonard, Acting Child Advocate, joined the office by Appointment in December 2021. Previously Kerrie spent 14 years with Kansas Legal Services, with a focus on poverty law issues, serving as both Staff Attorney and Managing Attorney.  Kerrie supervised staff in providing legal assistance in areas of housing, consumer, public benefits, and child and family law matters.  Kerrie has represented children and youth as Guardian ad Litem (GAL), as well as parents, and interested parties in child-in-need-of-care proceedings.  Prior to earning a law degree, Kerrie worked as a school social worker for five years, and other foster care and child advocate roles, including as a CASA volunteer.

Kerrie earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Kansas, a Master of Social Work from Washburn University, and is a graduate of Washburn University School of Law. 

Kerrie has served on the Kansas Supreme Court Taskforce on Permanency Planning as a GAL, as panel member and former Chair for the CAPTA Citizen Review Panel: Intake to Petition/CJA Taskforce, and presently serves as the National Association of Counsel for Children State Coordinator for Kansas.

Sarah has served for over a decade in the Early Childhood Education Field.  As a Childcare Coordinator focusing on growth and training in the areas of Trauma Informed Care and Positive Behavior Supports, Sarah has connected with a passion in helping children to be healthy, happy, and cared for. 

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Language & Hearing from the University of Kansas.  

Elizabeth has worked in child welfare for more than 10 years in various roles including child abuse and neglect investigations, case management supervision and agency leadership. She has experience in practice model implementation, policy development, performance measure compliance, and enhancing best practice. Elizabeth has served as an assessor in multiple Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSR), evaluating state child welfare practices to federal outcome standards.

Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from University of Nebraska and a Master of Social Work from University of Missouri-Kansas City. Elizabeth holds a professional license as a Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Kansas. 

Brook brings over a decade of experience in child welfare work to the office.  She has most recently worked with one of the state’s foster care contractors serving families providing foster care.  During her time with the contractor, she provided supervision to staff, developed training for foster parents, and aided numerous families as they navigated the fostering, reunification, and adoption journey.  Previously Brook worked for the Department for Children and Families, completing Family-Based assessments, referring families to services, and assessing allegations of abuse and neglect.  

Brook earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Washburn University and a Master of Social work from Park University. She holds a professional license as a Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Kansas.  

Wendy has over 15 years of experience in rural and metropolitan child welfare including child protective services investigations, foster care case management, agency leadership, and as a domestic violence specialist. She worked as an investigator within the Utah Child Protection Ombudsman Office and has served as an assessor in Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSR), evaluating state child welfare practices to federal outcome standards. She has experience in practice model implementation, policy development, compliance, and foster care licensing. In addition to child welfare, she has ten years of experience with the Kancare Medicaid waivers.

Wendy earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Weber State University. She currently holds a professional license as a Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW) in Kansas, and previously held a license in the state of Utah.