Elwood F. "Ed" Holton, III, EdD, Named Senior Director of Leadership Development Institute & Special Assistant to the Dean for Leadership Initiatives

Colleagues,

I am writing today to announce that Elwood F. "Ed" Holton, III, EdD has been named Senior Director of the LSU Leadership Development Institute and Special Assistant to the Dean for Leadership Initiatives. His appointment will be effective December 18, 2023.

Holton will oversee strategic vision and mission for the Leadership Development Institute, as well as long range planning, assessment, advisory board, fiscal management, and fundraising. He will serve as advisor to the dean on leadership initiatives, military and veteran initiatives, and leadership/workforce development initiatives. Holton will promote interdisciplinary research and collaboration within the college, university, state, and beyond in the areas of leadership and workforce development while positioning the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education as a national leader in these disciplines.

Holton holds a distinguished record of accomplishments in adult and continuing education and human resource development. His scholarly work about adult and workplace learning includes over 200 publication in academic journals and professional articles and is recognized by adult and continuing education scholars and practitioners around the world. Dr. Holton has advanced the theory and practice of both adult education and human resource development through his co-authored books TheAdult Learner – 9th Edition (soon to be 10th edition) and Foundations of Human Resource Development. He is the founding editor of Human Resource Development Review and a past president of the Academy of Human Resource Development. 

Holton devoted 23 years of exceptional service to Louisiana State University, where he was Director of the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the Jones S. Davis Professor of Human Resource Development, Interim Associate Dean for Distance Learning & Leadership, and Interim Director of the School of Information Studies.

During his tenure at LSU, he worked to establish a one-of-a-kind program for Louisiana, LSU’s Leadership Development Institute. The mission of LDI is to “offer cutting-edge, customized, evidence-based leadership development preparation, interventions, and coaching tailored to individuals, boards, communities, and organizations in the education, youth advancement, government, non-profit, and human services sector.”

Holton was inducted to both the Academy of Human Resource Development Hall of Fame and the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.   

I am excited to welcome Ed to this new position, and I look forward to seeing our positive impact in Louisiana and beyond in areas critically important to our state under his leadership. 
Please join me in welcoming Ed back to the CHSE family.