Linda Packman earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Education from Duke University. She then earned a Master of Science Degree in Special Education/Reading from the American University and a Master of Science in School Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Linda taught middle-school English and Reading in the Arlington County, Virginia public schools. Linda became a school counselor in 2002, working in the Howard County Public School System.

She worked at Murray Hill Middle School and then Reservoir High School. She was named middle school counselor of the year in 2005. She retired from the Howard County Public School System in 2021.

Linda has been married to Mark Packman, whom she met at 12, for forty-six years. Linda and Mark have a son, Joshua, who is married, and has a daughter who is four-and-a-half. In addition to her love of family, Linda is a lifelong fan of the Washington, D.C. teams, including the Commanders, the Capitals, and the Nationals. Linda loves music and dogs. She combined these loves by naming her two-year-old herding dog Springsteen, after her favorite musician!