Kenisha Coon, MS

Kenisha Coon is an individual with a profound lived experience of trauma and resilience within the child welfare system.

Possessing both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology, Kenisha Coon also holds a Post-Masters teaching certificate in Psychology, along with a certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and Equitable and Inclusive leadership. She has 13 years of child welfare experience ranging from prevention to post adoption with a specialty along the way of Adoption in all aspects. This experience includes, but is not limited to, international adoption, domestic infant adoption, foster care adoption, adoption assistance, policy, and Legislation.

She is currently the Permanency Strategic Initiatives and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lead with Child Welfare Information Gateway. Her responsibilities including leader the National Adoption Month Initiative, as well as other permanency endeavors including DEI and Race Equity Work. Before Gateway she was as the DEI Manager at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Service Administration, where Kenisha lead DEI initiatives at the state level. She continues to stay connected to the child welfare work in the state of Michigan, by being a member of the Jackson County Antiracist Transformation Team, facilitating Identity caucusing with a nonprofit that exits to eliminate structural racism and create networks of equitable antiracism institutions and communities, and running a group The Multi Racial Experience that focuses on how to grow in one’s identity journey and support others when they are biracial/multiracial.

Kenisha is a graduate of the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program and has collaborated with organizations such as the Children’s Bureau, AdoptUSKids, National Adoption Association, and Families Rising. Her collaborative efforts have focused on fostering racial awareness and equitable training within the child welfare sector.