Announcing the 2025 Featured Conference Speakers

The Texas Conference on Student Success is thrilled to announce the following featured speakers for the 2025 conference at the University of Texas at Austin.

Opening Keynote Speaker

Dr. Archie Holmes joined The University of Texas System as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in October of 2020. He provides oversight and guidance for the nine UT System academic institutions, who enroll more than 228,000 students, produce nearly 60,000 graduates a year, and have an aggregate annual operating budget of more than $7.7 billion.

Prior to joining U. T. System, Archie was the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Virginia and was a faculty member at both the University of Virginia and The University of Texas at Austin. As Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, he served as chief advisor to and representative of the executive vice president and provost in academic matters related to the curriculum and general health and welfare of the academic units.

Dr. Holmes received his bachelor’s and PhD degrees, both in electrical engineering, from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California at Santa Barbara respectively.

Closing Speaker & Panel Moderator

Kyle Clark is the Assistant Dean for Advising and Director of Student Support in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. He manages all aspects of the Advising and Student Support area of the Undergraduate Education function and serves as a member of Undergraduate Education’s core leadership team.

Kyle is responsible for overseeing the administration of programs and execution of the strategic plan for the advising & support organization with key areas that include: student academic records, outreach and prospective student recruitment, academic advising, and student success programming for undergraduate students. Kyle is also responsible for ensuring visionary leadership is realized throughout the organization and that those values are incorporated into all aspects of the organization, especially centering the student experience and amplifying a sense of belonging.

Kyle has over 20 years of professional, higher education work experience in residence life, new student orientation, scholarship programs and services, student success initiatives, and undergraduate student advising.

Kyle earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a certificate in African and African-American Studies from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. When Kyle is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and is also a DJ for weddings and events.

Kyle will lead an inspiring student panel discussion that highlights personal stories of resilience, innovative approaches to success, and strategies for overcoming challenges in higher education.