Commissioner Profiles 

Carol Sader

Carol Sader was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1957 with a major in Government. She was an elementary school teacher in Morris, Connecticut, later attended law school in Chicago and Cincinnati, and became a legal editor. In 1976, she and her family moved to Prairie Village, Kansas where she has been continuously involved as a community volunteer.

Mrs. Sader's career in public service began in 1981 when she was elected to the Board of Trustees of Johnson County Community College. She served as a Trustee until 1986 and as Chairperson of the Board from 1984-1986. In 1986, she was elected to the Kansas Legislature as the State Representative for the 22nd Legislative District. She served for eight years in the Kansas House during which time she was a committee chair, ranking minority member of several committees, and Policy Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. In 1994, she ran unsuccessfully for Lt. Governor of Kansas.

Since 1995, Mrs.Sader has continued her public service as a Kansas Supreme Court appointee to the Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications from 1995-2004; as a gubernatorial appointee to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts from 2003-2008; and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission since 2003. She was recently reappointed to a second four-year term on the Commission and has been serving as Chairperson of the Commission since 2005.
Carol and Harold Sader were married in 1957 and will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary this year. They are the proud parents of three adult children and eight grandchildren, all of whom live in Kansas.

Glenn Braun

Glenn R. Braun, Hays, is a partner in Glassman, Bird, Braun & Schwartz, LLP, where he has practiced law for the past 26 years. He serves as the City of Hays prosecutor and previously was elected two terms as Ellis County Attorney.

Braun is a graduate of Kansas State University and received his juris doctorate, with honors, in 1981 from Washburn University School of Law, where he was the Student Bar Association President. He is a member of the Ellis County Bar Association, previously serving as President and Secretary/Treasurer. He is the District 10 Governor for the KBA, being elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2007 and has served on that association's Executive Committee. He was twice-selected by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission for a position with the Kansas Court of Appeals. He was appointed to the Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission on March 7, 2005 and re-appointed in January 11, 2008, where he serves as Vice-Chair and Chief Hearing Officer.

Braun has held a variety of positions, including the State Board of CASA the Board of Directors of the Ellis County CASA program, where he served as President in 1992; Board of Directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Board of Directors for the St. John's Rest Home Endowment Association; Thomas More Prep-Marian High School Council of Education; and presently is the Finance Council Chairman for Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. Braun has also taught criminal law, criminal procedure and introduction to law as an adjunct professor at Fort Hays State University and has participated in numerous presentations dealing with a variety of legal issues.

Glenn is married to Amy and they have five children.

William Falstad

William Falstad, Fredonia, has been president of Kansas Bank Note Co. since 1963. KBNC is a printing company with customers throughout the United States, specializing in printed products for banks and other clients requiring security oriented products.

Falstad holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin. After graduation he worked in Chicago as a Certified Public Accountant for the accounting firm Arthur Anderson from 1956-1962, specializing in public utility audits, accounting systems and rate regulation.

Falstad's career in public service began in 1970 when he became mayor of Fredonia. A position he kept for eight years. He has also served on the board of directors of the National Printing Association, Fredonia Regional Hospital and First National Bank of Fredonia. He has been a member of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce since 1975 serving on its Board of Directors from 1975-1977 and again from 1993 to the present. He has also had the pleasure of serving on the Kansas Performance Review Board and the Kansas Lottery Commission.

Falstad was appointed to the Racing and Gaming Commission in June of 2005 and was reappointed in January of 2008

Kristine McKechnie

Kristine owns and operates Horse Creek Ranch Quarter Horses located outside Arcadia, Kansas while also serving as a gubernatorial appointment as Racing and Gaming Commissioner for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. She serves and has served on a number of statewide and community Boards and Commissions, including chairing Governor Bill Graves Early Childhood Care, Education and Health Subcommittee, past chair of the Leadership Kansas Board of Trustees, past chair of the City of Pittsburg Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, and serving as an 11th Judicial District Juvenile Corrections advisory board member for youth in southeast Kansas.

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters presented her with the 2000 Tony Jewell award for her exemplary work in youth alcohol and drug use prevention. McKechnie co-owned a weekly newspaper, The Girard Press, with her husband for 10 years and served as the Director of Development at the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center - Greenbush for 7 years prior to her appointment by the Governor to serve on the KRGC. While she was at Greenbush, McKechnie directed the Community Resources Department, which included YouthFriends, a school-based mentoring initiative in which she was instrumental in expanding statewide, the Regional Prevention Center of Southeast Kansas, the Regional Drug and Alcohol Assessment Center, Safe and Drug Free Schools programs, and working with various state and federal contracts involving youth and youth mentoring.

During her tenure at Greenbush McKechnie dedicated her time to help create a Kansas Mentoring Partnership. She is currently serving as vice chair of the Kansas Mentors Council along with Chairman and former KSU coach Bill Snyder and helping to make mentoring a part of every young person's life. McKechnie spent a lot of time in classrooms across the country with her work with Pathways, a high school curriculum that she assisted in developing with Dr Harvey Dean, President of Pitsco, Companies, Pittsburg, KS.

McKechnie received her bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas in 1988 and her Masters of Public Administration degree from Kansas Sate University in 1990. She is married to Arthur E. "Ed" McKechnie, III and has two sons, Austin, age 4 and Jackson, age 3.

Barry Schwan

Barry Schwan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Wichita in 1960. He is a graduate of Kapaun Mount Carmel High School in Wichita. In 1975, Barry completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Colorado and moved to Leadville, Colorado where he was employed as a teacher and coach. He moved back to Wichita in 1977 to join the family business and became President of House of Schwan in 1985.

Through the years, Barry has always taken an active role in business and community affairs.

He is currently serving as President of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Barry is also serving on the Boards of the Kansas Humane Society, Sedgwick County Zoological Society and Sedgwick County Zoological Society Foundation. He is also a founding member of the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission and currently serves on its Board. Barry also serves as Commissioner for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

Barry is a past President of the Wichita State University Foundation, Wichita Children's Home, Sedgwick County Zoological Society, Crestview Country Club and Kansas Beer Wholesaler's Association. He has also served as Chairman of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Board and the Chamber Pro Sports Committee. He has served on the Boards of Heartspring, National Beer Wholesaler's Association (2 terms), and Wichita Chamber of Commerce.

Barry resides in Wichita with his wife, Cindy. Together, they have two children, Devon, 25, and Mallory, 22.

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