Equity Audit 101 | Tue, January 28th at 2pm Central Time

Cynthia Richardson
Keiryn Ajayi-Obe
Dr. Muhammad Khalifa
January 28, 2025
2:00-3:00 pm CT

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Event Overview

Come engage with a community of education leaders working to serve historically marginalized students and communities. Equity Audit 101 is a virtual event designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the aims, process, and outcomes of conducting an equity audit in your district, university, or organization. Hear an overview from the founder of the Culturally Responsive School Leadership Institute (and author of the book Culturally Responsive School Leadership), Dr. Muhammad Khalifa. We've invited education leaders who've previously engaged in equity audits to share how they've promoted inclusivity in their districts. The event will include short talks and an audience Q&A that will help you begin envisioning school reform through CRSL in your setting. Be a part of this exciting opportunity, and invite others to join us at this free event.

Patrick Jones - Course author

Cynthia Richardson has served as an educator in Texas, Nebraska, and Oregon for the past 44 years. She joined Salem Keizer Public Schools in August 1997. Her career includes serving as a high school teacher, Administrative Assistant of Student Services, Assistant Principal at the middle school and high school levels, and an Elementary Principal. In Salem, she served as principal of Adam Stephens Middle School and was the first African American high school principal in Salem, Oregon. She served as the Director of Student Equity, Access, and Advancement for Salem Keizer Public Schools for six years and retired in June 2023. Following her retirement, Ms. Richardson was elected as a School Board Director for Salem Keizer Public Schools in July 2023. In July 2024, she was elected as Salem Keizer School Board Chair.

Ms. Richardson is the 2012 recipient of the Educator of the Year award for the Oregon Black Educator Association; the 2013 NAACP Pioneer Award recipient and currently serves on the African American/Black Student Success Plan Advisory Committee.. She also received the first Lifetime of Service Award from the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators in June 2023.

Patrick Jones - Course author

Supervisor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Port Huron Schools

Keiryn Ajayi-Obe is the Supervisor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Port Huron Schools. She has nearly 20 years of experience in education, 13 of which were spent working in Port Huron schools, where she taught English, Spanish, and AP Research at Port Huron High School. For the past three years, she has served as the Supervisor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Port Huron Schools, working to dismantle systemic barriers and advance equitable practices that create more just and inclusive learning environments for all students, with a focus on those who face structural inequities due to long-standing social, racial, and economic injustices.

Patrick Jones - Course author

Author of Culturally Responsive School Leadership

Dr. Muhammad Khalifa is a professor of educational administration and Executive Director for Urban Education Initiatives at the Ohio State University. Before coming to OSU, Dr. Khalifa held the Robert Beck Endowed Professorship in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Having worked as a public school teacher and administrator in Detroit, Dr. Khalifa's research examines how urban school leaders enact culturally responsive leadership practices. His latest book, Culturally Responsive School Leadership (2018) was published by Harvard Education Press. In addition to his urban work in the U.S., Dr. Khalifa has engaged in school leadership reform in African and Asian countries, including a recent U.N. project in East Africa.

Patrick Jones - Course author

Executive Director of TEECH

Kandace Logan is the Executive Director of TEECH. Prior to joining the team at TEECH, Kandace was the Executive Director of Dreamline, a school-based mentoring program located in k-12 schools across the Twin Cities Metro area and Greater Minnesota. Before leading Dreamline, Kandace worked in Minneapolis Public Schools for ten years. She held numerous progressive roles with the district; her last role was serving as the Executive Director of Equity, Integration and Social Emotional Learning. A former education consultant and classroom teacher, she has traveled the country facilitating workshops and coaching educators on creating positive and affirming learning environments with their students.

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1041 Grand Ave Box #276
St. Paul, MN 55105
612.584.9478

info@crsli.org

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Thank you!

Darlinda Anderson serves as the senior vice president of Ajusted Equity Solutions/CRSLI. Her role within the organization is to charter leadership, organizational objectives, sustainable strategy, and advantageous expansion. For the last twenty years, she has worked in human resource management, K–12 education, and process-led project management. Overall, Darlinda’s passion for balance and equity in the service of societal disparities—especially those in disadvantaged groups and professions—was the start of her overarching search for finding and supporting an organization that creates long-term sustainable opportunity for disadvantaged minorities.

Because of her passion for systems and organizational development, after graduating from Purdue University, Darlinda went to work for Hewitt Associates, a global leader in human resources outsourcing and programmatic financial services. This was her segue into the fields of project management, education, interactive broadcast media, and marketing. Though she initially started in business within the healthcare sector, it allowed her to realize how deeply she loved working in the service of others and for an equitable cause. This was the beginning of her journey to earning her master's in educational leadership. As her multiple career paths progressed, Darlinda searched for an opportunity to serve with the US government agency Americorps. There, she completed her educational service through Teach for America. Darlinda continued to serve as a K–12 public education teacher after her initial service to Americorps ended for another ten plus years.

As a classroom teacher, Darlinda saw firsthand all the struggles that Title I schools faced. After becoming a department chair, she began studying full-time to earn her master’s of business administration in human resource management. She continued to seek out opportunities beyond the classroom, where she knew she’d be closer to influencing systematic and district-level change. She continued navigating impactful roles that affected internal shifts, which led to working as a district program manager for a few years and later leading as a director of programs over the span of the next few years in educational organizations across the country. Today, her overall goal is to continue to serve, cultivate, and create world-changing avenues that make far-reaching equitable ideals a reality.