Leading the
KNIGHTS

Leadership Team

Gerald W. Hopkins, JR
Superintendent
ghopkins@khps.org
616-784-2511
@khpssuper

Gerald (Jerry) W. Hopkins, JR, has served as Kenowa Hills Public Schools superintendent since 2011. Since joining, Mr. Hopkins has led the creation of a district partnership with Grand Rapids Community College to implement a Middle College Program, allowing students to earn an Associate’s Degree while still enrolled at Kenowa Hills Public Schools. He also launched Pathways, a blended learning program to provide a non-traditional instructional setting for high school learners. Thanks to Mr. Hopkins’ leadership and the strong support of our community, the district has invested in three major bonds: a $55 million bond in 2016 that secured every school entrance and added additional safety measures, a $67 million bond in 2020 for district-wide improvements over 10 years, and a $37 million bond in 2024 that added safety and security, expanded outdoor learning, and added significant athletic upgrades.

Mr. Hopkins began his teaching career at Grandville Public Schools as an elementary school teacher specializing in math before moving on to an Instructional Media Specialist role. There, he developed a fifth-grade economics curriculum and later served as Elementary Program Coordinator. Mr. Hopkins served on a variety of leadership teams at Wyoming Public Schools, holding an Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources position prior to joining Kenowa Hills Public Schools.

Mr. Hopkins holds a Master of Education from Grand Valley State University and a Bachelor of Science with focus on Math and Biology from Central Michigan University. He serves as a member of a number of foundations, including: Walker Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Association of School Administrators, Comstock Park Rotary, and Kenowa Hills Education Foundation.

In his personal time, you can find Mr. Hopkins driving around the great state of Michigan to take his three children to various sporting events, including baseball, softball, and gymnastics. A relentless volunteer, Mr. Hopkins is almost always the first to arrive and last to leave various fundraising events at Kenowa Hills.

Bill Dinkelmann
Director of Grants & Secondary Curriculum
bdinkelmann@khps.org
616-784-2511 
Twitter: @BDinkelmann
 

Bill Dinkelmann joined Kenowa Hills Public Schools as an instructional coach and Competency-based Education Specialist in August of 2019. He has served as the Director of Competency-based Education and Secondary Curriculum, Assistant Superintendent, and has supported the district as a member of the District’s Strategic Planning Task Force.

Dinkelmann earned his commission as a Coast Guard Officer and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from the United States Coast Guard Academy. His 13 years in uniform included assignments at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on board the Coast Guard Cutter Sedge in Homer, Alaska, at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC, as well as Groups Detroit and Grand Haven here in Michigan.

Since transitioning from military service, Dinkelmann has amassed more than two decades of experience in public school settings across West Michigan. This experience includes roles as a high school science teacher and district technology director for West Ottawa Public Schools, as a science consultant and educational systems analyst for the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, and as National Program Manager at the VanAndel Education Institute. Dinkelmann holds a Master’s in Education with a specialization in Secondary Science Education from Grand Valley State University and is pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.