Emily Holley (front, center), CLASP President, and Colleagues in Monteverde, Costa Rica, December 2023 for CLASP Executive Committee Meetings.
Emily Beth Holley passed away surrounded by her family and loved ones in Michigan on September 13, 2025. As the long-time associate director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Michigan State University, Emily enriched the lives of all who worked with and knew her. She was a bright light in this world and was known for her intellect, big heart, vibrant sense of humor, empathy, and devotion to family, friends, and the field of Latin American studies. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, aunt, and friend, and we celebrate her legacy of love, kindness, and grace that she leaves behind. Emily will be profoundly missed, but her influence at home and abroad will continue to inspire all of us whose lives she touched. Emily is survived by her husband, Federico Ixtepan, and daughters, Alex and Anya.
Emily graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) with a bachelor’s degree (with honors) in Psychology, a master’s degree (with honors) in Bioethics, Health, & International Development, and a Graduate Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
In 1993, upon earning her bachelor’s degree, Emily was hired by Michigan State University to serve as a Community Development Advisor. In 1995, she joined the MSU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), where she served as Undergraduate Program Advisor, Outreach Coordinator, Special Projects Coordinator, Grants Manager, and ultimately Associate Director in her more than 25 years of service.
A fierce advocate for social justice and international development, she served on the Executive Board of the Center Directors Section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) as well as President of the Consortium of Latin American Studies (CLASP). She also served as a board member for a non-profit based in Coral Gables, Florida, “Empowerment Zone Reentry Initiative” (EZRI), which supports formerly incarcerated citizens.
Many had the pleasure of working closely with Emily on a variety of initiatives. We observed firsthand her important contributions to the field and its associated programming outcomes in areas ranging from language teaching to K-12 outreach. The kind of work she did demanded ongoing and substantive engagement with an extremely broad network of diverse constituents throughout the US and abroad, and Emily stood out as one of the most intelligent, collegial, capable, dependable, and enthusiastic in our field.
Emily’s career history boasts extensive leadership experience in highly competitive international education programs. Specifically, her years of experience managing Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) projects are commendable, and the effort, ability, and intellect required to do so effectively should not be underestimated. The Title VI NRC and FLAS programs are among the nation’s most prestigious federal grant competitions, generally awarding no more than nineteen Latin American studies programs per four-year cycle, and Emily brought them to Michigan State University on more than one occasion. In addition, Emily also successfully competed for, won, and managed other highly competitive federal grant programs, which merit special recognition and further serve as evidence of her exemplary abilities and performance. They include:
- Office of Postsecondary Education, International and Foreign Language Education, Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program;
- Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education;
- USAID-Higher Education for Development U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Education and Scholarships Program;
- Office of Elementary and Secondary Education/Office of Migrant Education, High School Equivalency Program;
- Fulbright- Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA), among others.
Emily trained early in her career by managing projects and then progressed to applying for and directing her own grant programs. Her ability to secure funding for Fulbright-Hays group projects abroad is impressive, as most top-ranked centers apply for GPAs to lead outreach programs that have a significant impact on K-12 teaching and learning nationwide, but not all are successful. It is important to note that the GPA competition not only requires an enormous amount of creativity, preparation, assessment, and organization, but that, once awarded, the execution of the program may be among the most demanding K-12 trainings offered. Even the most tenacious higher education professionals shy away from the responsibilities and pressures of GPAs, but not Emily. The fact that during her last GPA program to Costa Rica, Emily and her team secured a private meeting with then-President Laura Chinchilla speaks volumes about her vision, boundless energy, positive attitude, lofty goals, global connections, and superior leadership.
Not only did she demonstrate sustained success across time and across federal agencies, but she also had a keen ability to secure support from very diverse sources, including foreign governments, state agencies, non-profits, foundations, and MSU itself. From 2010-2020 alone, she served as Co-PI or lead on approximately twenty grants; a record that far surpasses the norm for any associate director and even many tenured faculty at institutions across the US.
CLASP expresses sincere appreciation for Emily’s unwavering commitment to Latin American Studies and lasting impact on all who benefited from her dedication, collegiality, collaboration, advocacy, and excellent work at home and abroad over the years.
Please join CLASP as we commemorate and celebrate Emily’s life, spirit, friendship, and numerous contributions. CLASP is honored to announce the Emily Holley Award for Administrative Excellence in Latin American Studies. Individuals at CLASP institutional members will be eligible for nomination, and more information will be announced.
May Emily’s legacy live on and benefit others for many years to come.