Dr. Florence Holland is an educator and diversity professional with over 19 years of experience firmly grounded in areas such as diversity, inclusion belonging, underrepresented minority recruitment and retention. She serves as the head of consulting for The Diversity Movement.
From February 2014 to September 2020, Florence served as the lead manager, pipeline initiatives – diversity and inclusion with the Association of International CPAs. There she managed the Diversity and Inclusion Pipeline Initiative through profession awareness, program development and implementation and research, analysis and reporting.
Her work revolved around a profession-wide and profession-funded initiative to improve the quantity and quality of underrepresented minorities in the accounting profession and ultimately securing their CPA licensure.
Florence holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with a minor in psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), a Master’s of Arts in education in educational administration (K–12) from Ball State University, an Executive M.B.A. from Auburn University and a Doctorate of Education in higher education administration from Argosy University, Sarasota where her research focused on the persistence of underrepresented minorities at predominately white institutions.
Prior to her work at the Association, Florence was the special assistant to the associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs at Auburn University. There she managed and coordinated diversity, inclusion and equity programs related to students, faculty and staff. She was responsible for over $3 million dollars in National Science Foundation diversity related grants focused on increasing the representation of minorities in STEM fields. At Auburn, she coordinated diversity training programs, collaborated with campus offices related diversity events and strategic planning, and organized national, regional and local events and conferences focused on student and faculty recruitment and retention, persistence of STEM underrepresented minorities, and diversity strategic planning.
Florence is a certified mathematics middle grades teacher in Georgia where she taught middle and high school mathematics for five years. She also holds certifications in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the Wiley Everything DiSC and the National Coalition Building Institute. She is currently enrolled in the Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner program, on track for completion in November 2020. She also currently teaches in the Education and Business graduate degree programs for Southern New Hampshire University where she teaches courses in action research, nonprofit organizations and education factors of diversity.
Despite all her educational pursuits and professional career her main focus always remains her passion for children and their ability to find their calling and purpose through exposure and opportunity. Therefore, she is committed to giving back and serves in her community through her church (Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church) and youth ministry involvement, tutoring middle and high school students in mathematics and ACT preparation and serving as a Den Leader for Troop 170 of the Boys Scouts of America, Inc. in Tuskegee, Ala. She also serves as the church clerk and choir director at her church. She is a board member for the Alabama Prison Birth Project, member and officer of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. – Tuskegee Chapter, and during the 2020-2021 school year will serve as president of the Auburn Junior High School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
Her ultimate pride and joy are her three sons — Michael, Miles and Major — with whom she parents with her amazingly supportive husband, Michael.