Danielle Ren Holley, president-elect of Mount Holyoke College.
“I’m just really excited to lead such a dynamic and important institution like Mount Holyoke,” said Holley in an interview with Diverse. “I think its values, what it represents, is the best of higher education.”
Mount Holyoke is a gender-inclusive women’s college in Massachusetts, one of the historic Seven Sisters, a group of highly selective women’s liberal arts institutions in the Northeast. Mount Holyoke is currently under the leadership of interim president Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) like Howard.
Holley spent nine years at Howard, a time she called “transformative.” Under her leadership, the law school increased its national profile, created new programming and pulled in more funding and resources.
“This is a full-circle moment for me, because Dean Holley was my very first hire as president of Howard in 2014,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick who has announced plans to step down as president by next June. “Dean Holley has led the law school to unprecedented heights, establishing the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center and driving applications to all-time highs. Her presence and impact will be truly missed on our beloved campus.”
Holley said Howard and Mount Holyoke share similar connections, as both were established to serve and uplift populations marginalized by white patriarchal society.
“In so many educational institutions, unfortunately, students, faculty, staff and alumni feel their identity—racial, gender, sexual orientation, religion—are things that hold them back in their institution,” said Holley. “What I see at Mount Holyoke I also experienced at Howard. Every part of who you are, those are things that should be celebrated, those are core parts of our identities, those help us make critical change in the world and enhance educational environments.”
