Ann Kalass led Michigan-based Starfish Family Services as CEO from 2007 to 2023 when she retired. Ann remains a passionate advocate for children and families and believes that all children can grow, learn, and thrive when effective programs and services help families overcome barriers and we favorably impact policy to address the gross inequities in our country’s educational, health, and social systems. Ann led a period of unprecedented strategic growth at Starfish by strengthening expertise and capacity in early childhood care and children’s behavioral health services – all with a multi-generational approach. In 2018, the Kresge Foundation named Starfish as the early childhood partner in a transformational cradle-to-career educational model in NW Detroit in partnership with the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the University of Michigan School of Education, and the Marygrove Conservancy.
