The Aspen Index Impact Fellowship, currently one of the most innovative and influential in advancing leadership development in today’s youth, has recently been bestowed to one role model at the University of Miami.
Ryan Holmes, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, has worked at the University since 2017. He oversees various areas of student life including social work and case management, campus chaplains, Greek life, crisis management, student conduct, academic integrity, and general student-community relations. His leadership has even rendered support to the Sandler Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education and includes published works on social justice and race and gender bias.
Exhibiting a large list of accomplishments, Holmes was selected to be an Impact Fellow on behalf of the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization interested in developing new leadership initiatives and programs. Holmes said he thought he would only be involved at a local level.
“I just casually said to them if there’s any way I can assist you, let me know, thinking about the Miami aspect of what they were trying to do,” Holmes said. “They asked me if I would mind being one of the facilitators for Miami, thinking that’s where it was going to end. But surprisingly, I received another call saying that they would really like to work with me at the national level, and then the invitation came, and I was floored and excited.”
The Aspen Institute Leadership Development Index, more simply referred to as the Aspen Index, is a digital tool created to measure core leadership competencies for both personal and professional growth. It uses a combination of self-assessments, team asset mapping, and research to determine how the Aspen Institute can create more meaningful leadership opportunities, specifically for youth and families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
“I am delighted that Dean Holmes has been appointed as an Aspen Impact Fellow,” said Patricia A. Whitely, senior vice president for student affairs. “This group of education leaders will play an important role in reframing and enhancing youth leadership programs around the country. Dean Holmes’ appointment is a testament to his work nationally and at UM.”
The organization’s Impact Fellowship is awarded to 90 community leaders to support their effort in exposing youth to more high-quality leadership skills, opportunities, and programs.
There is a strong need for a generation of values-driven, community-oriented youth leaders, according to John Dugan, founder of Aspen Index. “We can no longer take leadership development for granted. We must provide opportunities for youth to cultivate their talent to address growing political, social, and scientific issues—not in some distant future but today.”
The institute also reports that less than 32 percent of youth younger than the age of 25 in the United States experience any kind of leadership growth. In cases where they do interact with this type of development, many are not exposed to quality programs they need to be successful leaders in the future. In an effort to curtail obstacles, the fellowship is one of the institute’s many means of pushing this number past 50 percent for exposure to high-quality programs for youth.
Before his time at the University, Holmes could also remember when he wasn’t sure if he would receive the opportunities he now has today.
“Once I realized what they were trying to do, and the types of student-aged people they were trying to impact, it really reminded me of where I’ve come from not knowing if leadership opportunities would be presented to me when I was younger,” said Holmes.
“I really want to make sure the index that we’re working on is not just valuable, but stands the test of time,” he said. “When it comes down to the six identified areas of leadership, we can home in on them and give chances to student-aged youth who otherwise would not necessarily have access to said leadership experiences.”
Now, Holmes is ultimately hoping to continue giving back to students at the University of Miami but this time with more resources and support through the help of the Aspen Institute.
“Leadership is learning and experiencing all you can so that you can be effective for someone else,” Holmes said. “I don’t believe you can have leadership without service. And I think this is one of those times where I’ve been asked to serve in a different way. So, that’s what I look forward to—lending leadership in any way I can.”
