Melissa Holland

Biography

Melissa Holland is the executive director of Graduate Programs in the Harbert College of Business, where she provides leadership and strategic direction for the college’s full-time and online MBA programs while supporting the specialty master’s programs.

Her career spans corporate finance, strategic program development, and international engagement, giving her a unique perspective on creating graduate programs that connect academic excellence with the needs of students and employers.

Before joining Harbert Business, she spent nearly a decade with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business, initially leading the executive MBA (EMBA) program at the school’s Miami, Fla., campus and then leading its EMBA Global Network Program that enrolled up to 800 students across seven campuses and five international university partners.

Among her accomplishments at Kellogg, Melissa increased EMBA enrollments by more than 70% and enhanced the Global Network Program by working with faculty to create new elective courses and experiential learning opportunities.

For the past four years, she served in executive leadership positions with Austral Education Group and WorldStrides, two of the world’s top providers of experiential learning and education travel. 

Before entering higher education, she served as a vice president at Rabobank International, where she underwrote senior debt transactions for major corporations in the food and agriculture sectors. That experience strengthened the financial acumen, strategic judgment, and global perspective she now brings to graduate education and program leadership.

Melissa holds an MS in Leadership and Organizational Development and a graduate certificate in Professional and Executive Coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas, an MBA from the University of Georgia, and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Auburn University.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, attending Auburn sporting events, exploring culinary experiences, and spending time with her 18-year-old daughter, who is a freshman at Auburn.