The experiences Courtney Holder (‘10, ‘12) had as an undergraduate majoring in communication studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, made such an impact she chose a career focused on giving higher education students the same type of formative experiential opportunities she had.
Holder currently serves as the assistant director of Stamp Student Union, director of Leadership and Community Service-Learning, and co-director of the Leadership Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In these roles she facilitates leadership education and community engagement programs, courses, and other opportunities for students, and oversees the staff who execute those programs. Her dedication to her work and the field earned her a spot in the 2025 class of the Volunteer 40 Under 40, which she said was humbling.
“There’s something special about a university that has its entire motto and ethos, and values centered on volunteering. The idea and concept of the Torchbearer and giving light to others has really resonated with me as someone who is in community engagement and working with students. And to then be honored in this way means a whole lot, especially coming from a university where those things are valued and highlighted,” she said.
UT has had a place in Holder’s life since the day she was born into a Volunteer-loving family living in LaFollette, Tennessee, less than an hour north of Knoxville. She recalls being a toddler wearing matching Vols T-shirts with her siblings while holding their hands and walking down Cumberland Avenue to Neyland Stadium for a football game.
Perhaps UT was the obvious choice, but Holder still did her homework and took a tour of campus and the College of Communication and Information. She knew communications was her field of interest, but once she had a chance to see what the college had to offer, it cemented her decision to become a Vol.
“I vividly remember going to the College of Communication and Information and being so impressed with the TV station, the newspaper at that time, the radio station—just really cool hands-on experiential opportunities that I didn’t see at some of the other universities I was looking at,” she said.
Once she was a student, Holder did get a chance to work at the radio station and wrote for the early version of the Tennessee Journalist website TNJN.com. She took several communication courses at the beginning of her time at CCI and initially landed on public relations as a major and journalism as a minor. But the introduction course to communication studies resonated with her interests and the major also would allow her a lot of versatility in her professional pursuits.
“I really enjoyed the focus on understanding others and effectively working with others, as well as getting your message across and the relationality of it—and it was widely applicable to a lot of areas. So, I changed my major to communication studies and maintained my minor in journalism and media,” she said.
Her learning experiences in both her major and minor gave her the ability to work seamlessly in higher education administration. Communication studies gave her an in-depth understanding of how to communicate with groups, individuals, and within an organization, and journalism and media taught her how to collect, edit, and convey information in succinct and specific ways. But it was an encounter with other programs in the UT System that provided Holder with the pathway to her profession.
She had been involved in 4-H in middle and high school, which she said helped her develop strong leadership and community engagement skills. That relationship with 4-H led to her working at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture in a role advising the 4-H State Council, which meant supporting and advising high school state leaders and planning events for young people interested in leadership and being involved in their communities.
“I loved that job and that role and the staff I got to work with. I realized I loved working with young people and seeing them realize their potential,” she said.
She began asking the staff she worked with what their professional journeys looked like, and the answer was almost always that they earned a master’s degree in student affairs and higher education. To make sure she wanted to take that leap herself, Holder sought out another job on campus that would put her in the middle of student affairs. She began working at the career center as a career advisor, helping fellow students learn about job fields, conducting mock interviews, and critiquing their resumes. It confirmed she’d found her passion, so she began looking at master’s programs and once again the school that rose to the top was UT.
“I just had such incredible experiences at UT and had such a connection to the university; and I had the opportunity to take on a dream assistantship working with a mentor and in programs that meant a lot to me. I also enjoyed the faculty and the program at the time, and that all seemed to point towards Tennessee,” she said.
As she neared the completion of her graduate program, she began applying for positions all over the country. Her preference was to work in leadership and community engagement programs, which was an interest fueled by the jobs she held as an undergraduate at UT but also by the alternative breaks experience she had her senior year.
“Alternative breaks are immersive community engagement experiences for students primarily at colleges and universities that engage them for a week or two weeks over the traditional breaks—winter break, spring break—and it focuses on an issue or topic rooted in a geographic community, often somewhere other than where the university is,” Holder explained. “Students have an opportunity to look at the ways communities come together and use their assets and resources to make some great impact and changes in their own communities. They learn from local community partners and do a great degree of service and learning.”
She and other student leaders created an alternative break experience proposal to visit New Orleans in spring 2010, when the city was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. They planned every part of the trip, from identifying potential community partners to where they would stay and what type of work they could do while there.
“At the time it was called Team VOLS; it’s not for credit, it’s all extracurricular as a great leadership opportunity and students sign up for it as a way to make the most of their break and to give back. To think as a college student that you can do that kind of research and propose it—we made all of our meals together as a group, found a place to stay, worked with a budget, facilitated dialogue and reflection with the students in our group, and executed all the logistics. It was a huge responsibility,” she said.
Their proposal was approved, and they worked with two community organizations: one that focused on rebuilding outdoor areas for children and another that was repurposing and recycling building materials and making the materials accessible for people who wouldn’t normally have access to them so they could rebuild or remodel their homes.
Holder said every part of that alternative break, from the planning to the execution, was an incredible experience for her. When a job overseeing alternative breaks at the University of Maryland, College Park, opened, she knew it was the perfect fit.
“It was a dream role for me as I really believe in the power of those experiences and how they help shape students and open their minds and get them involved in communities and thinking about their place in the world,” she said.
She worked in that program for almost six years and found it just as fulfilling as she had hoped when another opportunity in community-engaged leadership opened up at Appalachian State University. She stayed there for almost three years before returning to Maryland in 2022 to take on her current position.
In her role, she is still involved with the alternative breaks program, but also oversees all leadership and community service-learning programs at the university. Besides her administrative duties, this position allows her to teach in the leadership studies program, which is something she’s always enjoyed doing.
Holder is also a faculty associate for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs, which was started at the university and helps to convene and connect leadership educators across the country. She is also an executive committee member for the national Leadership Educators Institute, Council for the Advancement of Standards reviewer and contributor, and an Aspen Institute Leadership Development Impact fellow.
While Tennessee can seem far away at times, Holder’s family still lives here so she makes her way back to visit them and maybe catch a UT game. She’s also found some UT connections in Washington, DC, and gets in touch with her Volunteer roots via alumni events such as game watches and send-offs for new UT students heading to their first year of college.
Holder said the university will always hold a special place in her heart and she will forever be grateful for everything she learned in and out of the classroom on Rocky Top.
“Although I may not be in a position where communication is in the title, it’s something I rely on every day and it’s something colleagues have realized I can do well. Communication is an incredibly valuable tool, and I know that started in my time at CCI,” she said.