Kansas City Mayor-elect Sly James has named two community leaders to serve in key positions on his staff after he takes office Sunday.

John McGurk will be chief of staff and Genaro Ricardo Ruiz will be senior adviser for community and intergovernmental affairs.

Aides said James would name his chief of communications and other staff members later.

McGurk currently works in the U.S. General Services Administration’s regional office. A native Kansas Citian, he previously was a lawyer with Polsinelli Shughart, where he specialized in real estate and economic development law.

McGurk serves as vice chairman on the Housing Authority board of commissioners but will resign that position effective Sunday.

Ruiz is a longtime community leader and is married to Jackson County Legislator Theresa Garza Ruiz. He grew up on the Westside and spent six years working for Congressman Emanuel Cleaver as a community affairs liaison.

Ruiz also worked at the Hispanic Economic Development Corp. as the manager for business and economic development.

Most recently, Ruiz was hired to work for an affiliate of the Guadalupe Center, but he left that position to avoid any conflict of interest with the county, which employs his wife and provides some funding for Guadalupe Center.