Ryan Holmes, dean, advisory member, youth football coach, and dad to name a few roles, has been elected President of Leadership Florida’s Cornerstone Class 42. Holmes grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana and never imagined he would occupy the spaces he has. After earning a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) from Loyola University, a Master of Arts degree in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland-College Park, a second master’s in bilingual/bicultural studies from La Salle University, and his Ed.D in educational leadership and administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, Holmes is always on the hunt for more.
Leadership Florida is an initiative aiming to convene a statewide community of leaders to recharge their leadership skills and to educate and inspire the work for a better Florida. This group of diverse leaders were not just chosen; they must first go through a rigorous application and election process, with thousands of applications submitted and only 55 selected over nine regions within Florida. Those selected are then sent an offer to join. This elite group then meets over several months and begins having hard conversations regarding critical issues to Florida while crafting and sharpening their skillset to handle these items.
As the group is meeting, they begin the selection process of the executive body—which is peer selected. This fundamental way of selecting their own leadership team makes the nomination for President even more special for Holmes, “I went from feeling like an imposter in a room full of movers and shakers to understanding that being me is enough. Prior to the election results being revealed, one of my classmates slid a note to me that read, “the gig is up, we’ll talk later.” When asked what he meant by the note, he replied “it’s time for you to know what we already know. You’re a leader among leaders, and all of your background made you so.”
The selected group is diverse and comes from all walks of life, CEOs, Vice Presidents of major companies, even Chief Financial Officers, but the goal remains the same for Holmes—show up with authenticity, stay connected, maintain love and respect, and challenge himself. “Being part of Leadership Florida is a materialized dream I didn’t know I had until recently. I now have additional family members who understand we are privileged to serve our state through all the blessings we have been given. It also feels great to be valued by others across the state who have achieved so much in their lives as both professionals and exceptional humans while representing our beloved University of Miami.” Holmes will forever remain the President of Cornerstone Class 42. This experience was more than a leadership opportunity; it was transformative and allows the University of Miami to be represented in such spaces and for Dean Holmes to do what he loves—serve others.
