Cheryl Butler Long’s career in working with ex-offenders evolved not only as a result of an early career with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. It came about mostly because of her seven years as a Workforce Development Specialist with the State of Missouri, where she works at the South Kansas City Career Center, assisting people who are out of work and attempting to establish unemployment benefits, seeking training opportunities, or simply trying to find their direction in a challenging employment environment.

Upon discovering the increasing number of ex-offenders who are among those job-seekers, and seeing how few specialists are willing to work with felons in their attempts to start their lives over, she completed an intense, competency-based course of study to become certified as an Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS) through the Department of Justice, then designed and launched her own workshop at the Career Center.

As the ex-offender workshop progressed and the amount of information she wished to share with participants increased, she decided to write a series of handouts for her clients. The information never made it to handouts because it quickly became a book (Unemployed, But Moving On! Smart Job-Searching in a Web-Based World and a Sucky Economy) that will appeal to all individuals looking for work in this sucky economy, not just ex-offenders.

Cheryl isn’t new to the world of writing and editing. During a 20-year career at Hallmark Cards, Inc., she held a number of professional positions, including Editor for the Specialty Products Division, where she provided packaging/promotional/creative copy and edited the work of a staff of writers.

At Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a council of government entities, she served as a Public Relations Project Specialist where she performed writing, editing, design layout and typesetting, photography and videography, as well as event planning and execution.

Cheryl holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees (public relations and communications) from William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri, and a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas.

In addition to being an Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS), she holds professional certifications as a Missouri Workforce Development Professional (MWDP) and a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF).

She is a member of six national and international associations for workforce professionals. She’s not nationally recognized for anything, but she has been interviewed on the radio in Kansas City.

She is a Notary Public for the State of Missouri. She is an accomplished marksman and loves target-shooting. She is married and has a canine child of the Pekingese persuasion. She likes to crochet, read, make jewelry, and play video games. She doesn’t like housework or cheese.