Starling serves as the Human Services program officer at Kresge since January 2026, a division that is dedicated to expanding opportunities in American cities by centering racial equity to advance multi-generational social and economic success for families and communities.
Before his time with The Kresge Foundation, Starling was the Senior Deputy Director for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS) Children’s Services Administration (CSA), where he oversaw the state’s child welfare system, including Children’s Protective Services, the foster care system, adoption services, licensing, guardianship, family preservation services, prevention, and juvenile justice programs. Starling worked in child welfare for over 25 years, beginning with his career as a CPS specialist at Wayne County MDHHS, the largest urban county in the State. He has served numerous leadership positions at MDHHS, including State Administrative Manager (Continuous Quality Improvement), District Manager, as well as a Dual County Director for contiguous counties with MDHHS. Prior to his appointment as CSA Executive Director in May 2021, Starling served as CSA’s In Home Services Bureau Director overseeing prevention, preservation, and protection programs. During his time at CSA, he was an integral part of formulating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, human trafficking initiatives, fatherhood and kinship endeavors, and has served on various continuous quality improvement teams. Starling was the Governor’s appointee for the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect as well as the Governor’s representative on the Human Trafficking Health Advisory Board. In 2022, Starling was appointed to the National Advisory Board (NAB) as a Steering Committee Member for the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law to address the overreporting and overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous children in the child welfare system. In 2022, Starling graduated in the first cohort of the Sankofa Institute for African American Executive & Emerging Child Welfare Leaders through the Black Administrators in Child Welfare. In 2024, Starling joined the National Partnership for Child Safety Executive Advisory Group. Starling was also chosen to the 2024 class of the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship. Starling earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University.