Mackenzi Truelove

Mackenzi Truelove earned a high school diploma from Andover Central High School. Truelove also earned a bachelor's and graduate degree from Wichita State University in 2015 and 2021, respectively. Truelove's career experience includes working in healthcare administration.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I graduated High School from Andover Central and received a Bachelors of Biomedical Science and Masters of Health Administration from Wichita State. Through my undergrad degree, I worked at a restaurant and went on to work in the emergency department and family medicine practices. I eventually moved to clinical research where I've been for the past 8 years—protecting patient rights and maintaining ethical and regulatory standards. All this to say, I know what it means to serve. I'm well read on the issues with our healthcare system/Medicaid and, after running for school board last year, have a deep understanding of the importance of fully funding education/special ed and how these issues impact Kansans at a local level and in their pocketbook. I'm counting on your support in my statehouse race so that I may continue serving and supporting Kansans.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am here to serve you and protect your needs. Be it your access to clean water, affordable healthcare, or public assistance—I am here to fight for YOU. With me, your needs come first, before the asks of private companies (unlike with so many already elected). Every decision I make in the legislature will be expressly with the common and working people in mind and how my decisions impact your standard of living and your wallet. To me, taking this seat means making decisions for us in District 85, but knowing it impacts the state at large—and I am here for all of us. Someone needs to take this seat to protect your ability to access affordable groceries and housing. And that’s just the bare minimum of what we can achieve.I deeply believe that access to education is transformative for everyone on Kansas soil. We have to protect and expand access to and funding for public education (and special education) which will keep your local property taxes low and benefit your community for families to grow and thrive which improves local prospects. When children thrive, we end up with a grown population of individuals who understand their place in the world and who feel a deep sense of pride and responsibility for making this world better, as well. It’s best for us in Kansas to maintain this educational cycle.There’s a big difference between surviving and thriving, and I’m trying to make sure we’re tackling things upstream that impact your health and wellness (access to clean water and affordable and healthy foods) while making the downstream needs of affordable healthcare close to home accessible for Kansans across the state. Expanding Medicaid gives an opportunity for people to sign up for healthcare without it costing a whole 2 week paycheck and helps make sure rural hospitals can stay open.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare/Medicaid expansion and access to rural healthcare options are at the forefront of my mind, as well as public health programs related to accessing healthy foods/education on cooking healthy meals and addiction services/harm reduction surrounding substance use disorders. My background is in healthcare and making it affordable for our children and aging population in Kansas is top priority. Help me take care of you!

I’m passionate about public education/special education to grant K-12 schools more funding for classroom supplies. This and higher education and trade schools—would love to make access to these things more affordable and would fight for improved state options for individuals to get access to improve their lives.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I graduated with a BS in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at WSU and went back to get my Masters in Health Administration. I’ve worked in various healthcare settings including Emergency Department, Oncology, Cardiovascular Surgery, mostly in the quality, regulatory, and ethical side of clinical research. I’m relatively new to politics but have been volunteering with Advocacy Groups for the last few years and am really hoping to make positive changes that help everyone in the district.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Transparency especially in financial oversight is one of the main reasons I’m running. A no-rate-change bond issue didn’t pass in February of 2025 because several board members weren’t vocal about it and how not passing it would impact citizens/constituents. I want to be very open and honest about why we need the funds we do and how it impacts the kids and the community both if we do or don’t get the funding we need.I am a major proponent of health and wellness, and believe that USD 259, with the right connections, can make school a place where students don’t go hungry and mental health is a top priority. Safety and stability are majorly important when it comes to even an adult’s ability to focus and, in the classroom, when there are mental health concerns or worries about where their next meal is coming from—everyone is impacted. So let’s make sure the learning environment is safe, stable and inclusive for everyone.I’m running to support teachers and school staff with respect and resources. Teachers and school staff bear a heavy burden. I want to help uplift teachers who are successful with teaching styles and make sure they have resources to share their knowledge of the craft so that positive results can echo through the district. I would also love to support real life skills learning like financial literacy and trades. Given the opportunity I would support hands on learning in a heartbeat.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My personal passions have always been about public health and looking at how social determinants impact all areas of everyone’s life. I think viewing things from the standpoint of equity helps us to build an inclusive environment where we can provide resources to those that need them with dignity and which will build up everyone on the journey. Studies do show that positive impacts build trust, and I would like to build trust in our kids in this city so they want to stay and continue this work—feeling safe, listened to, and creating a real sense community and personal responsibility to do what’s best for everyone.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Open-mindedness. Elected officials are not experts, they are simply the people who have been elected to represent the needs of their constituents. It’s best to listen to the needs and those advocating for solutions.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I like to think my history with quality and regulatory work will help make me successful. I have a penchant for recognizing patterns and noticing things that will cause problems before problems arise, which allows me to work to solve them before bad outcomes occur. I’d like to think this type of foresight can be put to good use for the community.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

School board members should be active with the schools and their events, visiting and listening to all the needs of everyone involved in creating a learning environment including, but not limited to, students, teachers, parents, admin staff, etc. Since USD 259 is the largest district in Kansas, encouraging active participation from parents and families is super important, and making sure to be open about how my decisions would impact their kids and routines is an absolute must.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I made pizzas at a local pizza place when I was 15, after school. I worked there a few months before I took a temp/holiday job at Michael’s Arts and Crafts, where they hired me on after the holidays for part time. It was essentially giving up free pizzas for constant glitter from an unknown source. Kind of a magical trade, if you ask me.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I plan to be available to anyone who wants to discuss concerns. At board meetings, on social media, with the press, and privately, I want everyone to be heard. I plan to meet regularly with United Teachers of Wichita and any other labor organizations that have stake in our schools. I’d like to be as involved as I possibly can.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I’d like to see a bond issue passed. The voters in Wichita will end up paying for this either way but with a no-rate-change bond issue, taxes won’t go up. I know that’s a concern for everyone, these are hard financial times and with 80% of students and families falling below the poverty line, we need to make sure targeting the right things in the right way. I’m also not opposed to going to discussing issues with the State Board of Education, KS Senators, and House Reps. I know everyone has the kids’ best interest at heart.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

There were a great number of things that could’ve been handled better, in and out of schools. I want to be very clear when I say that masks are extremely effective at preventing the spread of infections. No one reading this would ever have any surgery or procedure if your physician didn’t wear a mask—because breathing outright into an open wound has a high rate of infection. Wearing a mask can prevent you from getting sick if you’re exposed to others who may be sick, and can prevent you and others from spreading illness by intercepting viral and bacterial particles when exhaling.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency is a nonnegotiable. For ethical reasons, the voters deserve to know how their votes impact themselves and their community. And elected officials need to be transparent about conflicts of interest they might have and recuse themselves if there are any.