The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named Kindle Holderby as the new assistant vice chancellor of enrollment management.  

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve at UA Little Rock,” Holderby said. “The faculty I’ve met are very dedicated to their students and research. The staff are student-oriented and focused. I saw this as an amazing opportunity to come to a well-known, established university dedicated to student success.”

Holderby joins UA Little Rock with more than a decade of experience in enrollment management. At his most recent institution, Emporia State University, Holderby’s team ended a three-year cycle of declining enrollment through improvement efforts in undergraduate enrollment management, recruitment, and marketing.

“We are excited about the experience, skill set, and diverse perspectives that Mr. Holderby brings to UA Little Rock,” said Dr. Cody Decker, vice chancellor for student affairs and chief data officer at UA Little Rock. “Mr. Holderby, working with the strategic enrollment management plan, will collaborate with faculty and staff to pursue continuous improvement in enrollment management, while adapting to the opportunities presented by the pandemic.”

Prior to Emporia State, Holderby served as vice president of student affairs at Bacone College, where his enrollment management team reversed a seven-year enrollment decline. Holderby previously served as a dean of students, director of enrollment management, director of work study, director of a foster care program, and an admissions recruiter. While not working in enrollment management, Holderby is also a college basketball referee.

In his new role, Holderby is responsible for the leadership and oversight of undergraduate recruitment and admissions at UA Little Rock, TRIO, Student Orientation and Transitions, the Intensive English Language Program, and the Office of International Student Services.

“Since UA Little Rock is a metropolitan university, it’s going to be a top priority to tap into the workforce and the nontraditional learners who often enroll as part-time students,” Holderby said. “We want to speak with industry leaders to discover what skills they want their employees to have. UA Little Rock offers a wide variety of programs and certificates geared toward the business community and working professionals who are looking to earn a new degree and learn new skills to enhance their careers.”

Holderby earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northeastern State University and a master’s degree in education administration from East Central University. He plans to graduate with a Doctor in Education in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University this year. 

Holderby is a native of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a member of the Cherokee Nation. His first post-college job with the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare led to a unique program during his first job in higher education.

“I was working for the Cherokee Nation as a social worker and an experience with a friend who was in foster care got me interested in working with kids in foster care,” Holderby said. “I started a foster care program where we could recruit students who had been in the foster care system to come into a cohort at Bacone College.”

Holderby and his wife Nicole live in Benton with their children, Dylan, 15, Haley, 12, and Blakely, 1.