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Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Canise Salinas

portrait of dr. salinas

Email: canise.salinas@kckps.org
Phone: 913-627-2842
Visit the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page.
 

Dr. Canise Salinas-Willich is the Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Library Services for Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. She is starting her 14th year as a leader in KCKPS having started her career as a Principal in the district.

Dr. Salinas-Willich began her career by receiving her BA in Education. When Dr. Salinas-Willich began her undergraduate studies at Ottawa University, she was exposed to a full range of educational courses, which reinforced and solidified her intense interest in teaching. She taught elementary education and studied subjects in the social sciences, which were both enjoyable and enlightening, providing her with a new and different perspective on the world we live in.

A few years later, she obtained her master’s in counseling and worked successfully as an elementary counselor until receiving her Education Specialist in School Leadership. Dr. Salinas-Willich held a building leadership role for fourteen years and recently completed her educational doctoral degree. She plans to continue her research on closing the racial gap and investigating the impact of teacher preparation programs on teachers’ understanding of self-efficacy and cognitive dissonance, and their impact when teaching students of color.

Dr. Salinas-Willich has developed a particular interest in education, school leadership, social justice, and 21st-century technology skills. She has sat on many boards and committees whose purpose spans from organizational planning to visionary leadership.
 
Canise is married to Dr. Corey Willich, whose blended family consists of 5 children, 2 grandchildren, and a pooch Luna. They both are educators who love to pray, travel, and learn new things!