Flowers Early Learning Names Kevin Wordelman CEO

The Southwest Michigan Head Start operator promoted its longtime chief operating officer to lead the agency after the departure of Chanda Hillman.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People

Flowers Early Learning Names Kevin Wordelman CEO

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Flowers Early Learning named Kevin Wordelman its new chief executive officer, a role he accepted in August 2026, according to a November 5, 2026 news release. Wordelman previously served as the agency's chief operating officer and human resources director after joining in 2022.

Why it matters

The appointment places a leader with prior operations and public-sector experience at the head of an agency serving families across Southwest Michigan. It also follows the agency's 2024 renaming from Tri-County Head Start, marking another step in its leadership transition.

Flowers Early Learning, which operates 17 locations and employs 200 people, serves nearly 600 children and families each year through a federal Head Start grant in Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties. The release does not detail the agency's budget or grant funding amounts.

The players

Flowers Early Learning

A Benton Harbor-based early childhood education agency formerly known as Tri-County Head Start, which has provided Head Start services in Southwest Michigan since 1972.

Kevin Wordelman

A Kalamazoo County public servant and former two-term county commissioner who previously led operations and human resources at Flowers Early Learning.

Chanda Hillman

The former Flowers Early Learning CEO who served eight years before becoming executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association.

The details

Wordelman accepted the CEO position in August 2026, succeeding Chanda Hillman, who served eight years before becoming executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association this spring. Before becoming CEO, he was a director of operations at Open Doors Kalamazoo and held roles at the Kalamazoo Nature Center and two American Federation of Teachers unions at Western Michigan University.

2022: Kevin Wordelman joined Flowers Early Learning.
2024: Tri-County Head Start was renamed Flowers Early Learning.
Spring 2026: Chanda Hillman became executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association.
August 2026: Wordelman accepted the Flowers Early Learning CEO role.
November 5, 2026: Flowers Early Learning published the news release announcing his appointment.

Industry Dynamics

Flowers Early Learning's leadership change follows a program established by the federal government in 1965 and locally operated by Tri-County Head Start since 1972. The succession marks the agency's fourth CEO in nearly 55 years.

Families enrolling children ages 0-5 in Flowers Early Learning programs will be served by a leader who already knows the agency's operations. Parents and staff in Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties may see continuity in services as the new CEO takes over.

The takeaway

Leadership continuity from within can help a long-running public service agency maintain stable programs through a transition. Watching how the new CEO approaches the agency's budget and service priorities will show whether that continuity holds.