About Kirsten
Driving Schoolwide Change Through Social-Emotional Learning
Kirsten Perry is an international educator and social-emotional learning (SEL) consultant with over 16 years of experience driving systems-level change in P-12 schools. Her career spans direct school counseling, district leadership, higher education instruction and state-level governance. As a P-8 school counselor in Chicago Public Schools, Kirsten led data-driven, multi-tiered interventions that resulted in a 4% increase in student attendance over three years and measurable improvements in school climate. For this work, she was named the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National School Counselor of the Year in 2018 and was honored by Michelle Obama.
Kirsten has held senior leadership roles with Chicago Public Schools, serving as both a Social-Emotional Learning Specialist and a School Counseling Specialist. She coached 27 schools on CASEL-aligned SEL-MTSS implementation and led districtwide initiatives supporting the development of comprehensive school counseling programs in over 500 P-12 schools. At the state level, she served as President of the Illinois School Counseling Association where she spearheaded the development of the ISCA Race & Equity Credential, a three-day training on anti-racist practices in schools, that was later recognized nationally as a Pinnacle Award Finalist in 2023 by ASCA.
Kirsten has also served as an adjunct instructor for DePaul University’s school counseling program and served as a middle school counselor in both Singapore and Hong Kong, expanding her work internationally. She is a frequent national and international presenter, speaker and panelist.
Beyond the Book Podcast
School Counseling, Mental Health, and Leadership – A Conversation with Kirsten Perry
hosted by Kameron Kimbrough