Director Starling has worked in the child welfare field for more than 20 years. He began his career as a Child Protective Services specialist in Wayne County. Since then, he has held various management roles including as a first line, services program manager, and state administrative manager in the Division of Continuous Quality Improvement. Director Starling has also served on the statewide Children’s Services Agency (CSA) Anti-Racism Transformation Team, Court Improvement Process Team, and as the CSA representative for the Michigan Action Plan for Father Involvement Advisory Group. Following a tenure as the social services division administrator in Genesee County, Demetrius served as the county director for Sanilac and St. Clair counties and as the In-home Services Bureau Administrator over prevention, preservation, and protection programs. He currently serves as the Children’s Services Agency Executive Director, a role he has held since May of 2021.
Director Starling currently serves as the Governor’s appointee for the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. He has been an integral part of formulating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, human trafficking initiatives, the Handle With Care work, and various continuous quality improvement teams. Demetrius earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University.