Meet Kevin Hagen
Kevin Hagen never set out to run for office. But he has always believed in service, responsibility, and showing up when people need help.
Service. Responsibility. Community.
Kevin Hagen is a longtime Valparaiso resident, husband, and father who has spent his life focused on service, responsibility, and practical problem-solving.
Kevin grew up on a dairy farm near Webster, South Dakota, where he learned early the values of hard work, self-reliance, and looking out for the people around you. On the farm, if something broke, you fixed it. If a neighbor needed help, you helped. Those lessons shaped how Kevin approaches his work and his community to this day.
After college, Kevin began a career rooted in service and leadership. He worked with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, helping raise funds and support families facing serious medical challenges. Wanting to broaden his perspective and serve beyond his own community, Kevin joined the U.S. Peace Corps and spent more than two years in Guatemala. There, he worked as an agricultural advisor at an orphanage and helped organize efforts that ultimately brought electricity to a nearby rural village. That experience reinforced Kevin’s belief that lasting solutions come from listening, collaboration, and following through.
Returning to the United States, Kevin continued his commitment to people-centered work. He served as a nursing home administrator in nonprofit, Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities, where his focus was compassionate care, regulatory responsibility, and supporting both residents and staff. He also helped establish a home health agency to serve individuals who needed care at home rather than in institutional settings, allowing people to remain independent while reducing costs for families and the broader system.
Eventually, Kevin and his wife Veronica made their home in Valparaiso, where they have lived for more than two decades and raised their two children. Both of Kevin’s children graduated from Valparaiso High School and the Valparaiso school system, further deepening his connection to the community.
Kevin later earned his master’s degree at Indiana University Northwest, strengthening his skills in leadership, budgeting, and organizational management. That education reinforced his practical approach to problem-solving and his belief that public service should be both compassionate and fiscally responsible.
Professionally, Kevin has spent over 20 years as an operations director for a multi-million-dollar, multinational business. In that role, he manages budgets, oversees operations, ensures compliance, and leads teams with an emphasis on accountability, transparency, and long-term sustainability. This experience has given him a deep understanding of how to manage resources responsibly.
Alongside his professional work, Kevin has remained deeply involved in community and nonprofit service. He has served in leadership roles with organizations such as Kiwanis and the Valparaiso International Center, working on initiatives that support children, families, and underserved residents. Through programs like accessibility ramp installations and scholarships, Kevin has seen firsthand how small, timely interventions can make a lasting difference in people’s lives.
Kevin is running for Center Township Trustee because he believes the role reflects the kind of service that matters most. The Trustee’s office is not about partisan politics or ideology. It is about being accessible, responding quickly, and helping people through short-term hardships so small problems don’t become long-term crises. Whether it’s rental assistance, utility support, or ensuring township services are well managed, Kevin believes the work should always be done with dignity, fairness, and respect for taxpayers.
At a time when national politics feel increasingly divisive, Kevin sees local government as a place where trust can be rebuilt. He believes the Trustee’s office should be steady, practical, and focused on solving real problems for real people, regardless of politics.
Kevin brings to this race a lifetime of experience managing organizations, serving communities, and showing up when people need help. He’s running to make sure the Center Township Trustee’s office is accessible, responsible, and rooted in the simple idea that local government should work for the people it serves.
