President Danielle Holley, former ACE Fellow, reflects
President Danielle R. Holley discusses her time as an ACE Fellow and her first year leading Mount Holyoke College. She wants to continue to center expanding access and opportunity in higher education.
The American Council on Education (ACE) has published a profile of President Danielle R. Holley as part of its current series of interviews with its former fellows.
More than 2,000 vice presidents, deans, department chairs, faculty and other emerging leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program. The program is a customized learning experience designed to enable participants to immerse themselves in the study and practice of leadership.
President Holley was a fellow in the 2021-2022 academic year at Brown University, where she learned from President Christina Paxson.
“Watching the way that she's been so successful and thoughtful — not just about Brown but also about higher education in general — provided a lot of inspiration," Holley said.
Under Paxson and then-Provost Richard Locke's mentorship, President Holley completed a project focused on centers and institutes at Brown. She also shadowed her mentors at many meetings and learned how they thought about aspects of finance as well as master campus planning and academic planning, all while embedding equity into these programs and processes.
President Holley also reflected on her first full year leading the Mount Holyoke College campus during a turbulent year in higher education.
“Our strategy was to focus on our students: supporting them, educating them and helping them talk and listen across different perspectives," she said. “MHC students are amazing!”
