Board of Directors

Our board is comprised of a passionate group of mental health advocates, representing voices from our community and within the mental health center. This allows for each individual’s strengths, perspectives and experiences to come together with the rest of the group to create collective impact. Learn more about each of our board members below.

A group of board members sitting at a table smiling at the camera.

Tim DeWeese

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Liz Worth

Rodney K. Longhofer

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Susie Gurley

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Anne Timmons

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Cathleen Panowicz

Katherine Melton

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Steve Wise

Steve Wise

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Kathleen Harnish McKune

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We all have a role to play in improving mental health.

Our board members are examples of dedicated advocates, but there’s a role for everyone in this work. How will you use your gifts, talents and time to improve the mental wellness of our community? Connect with us to learn more or explore ways you can support our efforts.

Tim is the Director of Johnson County Mental Health Center. The Mental Health Center is a department of Johnson County (KS) Government and employs more than 360 staff who provide behavioral health services to nearly 12,000 county residents annually.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Missouri Southern State University and a Master of Social Work Administration degree from the University of Kansas. He is a Licensed Mental Health Professional in Kansas and has over 30 years of experience in community mental health, where he has worked in various capacities.

He possesses extensive knowledge and experience in the public mental health delivery system, client-centered leadership, and program design/development. Tim also served more than 10 years as a commissioned officer in the Army Reserve and National Guard.

Rodney is involved with Friends of Johnson County Mental Health because he wants to unmask the stigma associated with mental illness. The work of Friends is important to him because he knows they will do whatever they can to provide the citizens of Johnson County with the necessities, skills, education and opportunities needed to live a healthy and meaningful life.

After a 21-year career at Johnson and Johnson, Rodney brings to the board a strong marketing, finance and non- profit involvement background. With personal and professional experiences in mental health, Rodney passionately believes that no one should be held back from personal success because of a physical or mental illness.

Rodney graduated from Emporia (KS) State University. He and his wife Molly have been married for 28 years and have two children, Jackson and Neva. They reside in Overland Park, Kansas.

Susie has spent the past 25 years raising three children with her husband of 30 years, Dan, and serving as a community volunteer. She launched the Just A Mom podcast in September 2022.

In the podcast, Susie talks with moms and dads who have parented a child with mental health issues so other parents know that they are not alone and there is hope. Susie also interviews mental health experts and resources to help parents know what help is available.

Susie is also the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival, a music festival raising awareness about teen mental health and suicide prevention founded by her son.

In addition to her work with the You Matter Festival, Susie is on the Board of Directors at the Hope Center in Kansas City. She served as the Board Chair of Johnson County Fellowship of Christian Athletes for 8 years and was Co-President of the Blue Valley High School Touchdown Club in 2014-15. She has also served in a variety of roles at Christ Community Church.

Anne Timmons is a community advocate for suicide prevention, mental health awareness and mental wellness promotion. She currently serves on the Johnson County Mental Health Advisory Board, Overland Park Mental Health Task Force and is a Congregational Care Minister for the recovery community.

Anne is passionate about helping people get access to the right services at the right time by identifying gaps in care and eliminating barriers to receiving services. She is dedicated to making Johnson County a suicide-safer community. Anne hopes that through education and advocating for change, we can increase access to care for mental health disorders/ substance use disorder. She challenges all organizations and individuals in our community to have honest communication about our mental health.

Katherine has more than 10 years of experience working in both public health and community mental health. She worked with Johnson County Mental Health Center for four years as a Community Prevention Coordinator. In addition, she started and led a local mental health nonprofit.

Through her professional roles, she has worked closely with Olathe Communities That Care Coalition doing prevention work and previously worked with Johnson County school professionals and students around the areas of mental health promotion, substance use/misuse, and suicide prevention. Personally, Katherine work through the nonprofit to improve and assist with access to care, provide support to those who have lost a loved one to suicide or overdose, and support to those in recovery and their loved ones.

In addition to the Friends Board, she also serves as a board director for NAMI Johnson County.

In Katherine’s words:

“[The work of] Johnson County Mental Health Center matters to me because no one deserves to be on their journey alone. Whether it is someone with lived experience or an individual supporting a loved one, support, empathy, and a safe and nonjudgmental environment to process through their journey is important to their healing. Being a part of an organization that helps provide this support and space is humbling. I serve on the Friends Board as a way to give back to the Johnson County Mental Health Center community, whether that be the clients or staff. I’m proud to be part of an organization that strives to make a lasting impact on those that they work with and the community-at-large.”

Steve is a licensed architect, practicing commercial architecture with a focus on client relationships, project management, mentorship and business development for over 32 years, primarily in the Johnson County area. Steve graduated from K State University and married Chris, his wife of 29 years several years after graduating. They have 2 wonderful adult children, Megan living in KCMO and Ryan in Austin TX. Steve and Chris recently moved to Olathe, KS and enjoy the new house.

Chris has been involved with the In Place, offering social engagement opportunities for adults with mental illness, for more than 22 years. Steve stepped in to take over as the assistant for the In Place more than 5 years ago and continues to enjoy engaging with the clients on a variety of activities 2 times a month. Steve became involved in community activities with Shawnee Tomorrow Leadership many years ago and continues to volunteer in the community. He is excited to engage on the Board, working with the team to explore opportunities to provide sufficient community resources for those struggling with mental illness.

Kathleen Harnish McKune’s professional and personal work have always focused on empowering others. Professionally, she is a co-founder and CEO of TeamTech, a Kansas City-based strategic facilitation and leadership training firm whose work embodies trauma-informed principles. For over 30 years she has worked with two Kansas Governors, most state agencies, many of the county governments in the state as well as non-profits – all who serve the most vulnerable in our communities.  She is one of the authors of TeamTech’s leadership curriculum, Everyone A Leader®, teaching facilitative leadership skills at all levels of organizations.

In her personal work, Kathleen provides Remarkably Resilient and Remarkably Resilient Together® workshops with her sisters all toward the goal of empowering others in their healing journeys. Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Cetner is a key non-profit partner distributing Remarkably Resilient Together materials as part of their fund-raising efforts.

Kathleen volunteers with Johnson County Corrections and the Kansas Department of Corrections teaching emotional regulation and self-care to incarcerated individuals sharing the Remarkably Resilient Together materials. She is also a certified HOPE facilitator (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) from Tufts University. She and her sisters are currently working with a filmmaker on the Remarkably Resilient documentary.

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